Many of you have been asking about the rumor that the 49ers have been or will be pursuing Jared Gaither, an offensive tackle for the Ravens who is a restricted free agent. Gaither was tendered at a first-round level, meaning that A.) If he signs an offer sheet, the Ravens can match and B.) Any teams that signs him would have to give the Ravens a first-round pick in the 2010 draft. The Ravens have a promising young tackle in Michael Oher they can move to the left side should Gaither depart. They also only have two picks in the first four rounds and might want to augment that in what is seen as a deep draft. The 49ers, of course, have two first-round picks.
All that being said, I made some calls yesterday and there have been no talks between the teams thus far. I also contacted Gaither's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who said "I don't want to talk about that now," before hanging up on me. (To be fair, he might have dropped his phone in Biscayne Bay as I was in mid-sentence.) Pro Football Talk, which admittedly has a better pipeline into the Rosenhaus camp than I have, also says no one is pursuing Gaither at this point.
The question heading into free agency this year was whether RFAs would get more attention than they had in previous years. The most coveted free agents - those in their mid-20s - are restricted under the new rules. The agents I've spoken with have said if a run on RFAs occurs, it likely will come in the "second wave" of free agency. (The first wave being marquee unrestricted free agents like Julius Peppers, etc.)
Gaither certainly would be one of the most intriguing. At 6-9, 340 pounds, he's massive - what Mike Singletary wants in an o-lineman. And he turns 24 on March 18. He suffered neck and shoulder injuries in an awkward collision last year and missed the last five games of the season. But he played in every game, starting 15, the year before.
If the 49ers decided to go the RFA route, there are other options. Jermon Bushrod, for instance, started 14 games at left tackle for the Super Bowl champion Saints this season. Bushrod, 25, is 6-5, 315 and is tendered at a second-round level, meaning a team would have to give up a second-round pick to sign him. (Assuming the Saints don't match). The Saints also tendered 6-7, 320-pound Zach Strief at a second-round level. Streif, 26, played well in two starts for the Saints.
-- Matt Barrows
