NFL Rumors: San Francisco 49ers eyeing Josh Freeman as backup QB
By Josh Hill
The San Francisco 49ers have a solid starting quarterback in Colin Kaepernick, a guy who is about to get paid big time with a fat extension. But while the Niners don’t have to worry about finding a starting quarterback, the team is in the market for a backup with Colt McCoy hitting free agency.
With McCoy likely gone to find a place where he can be a starter, or at least compete, the Niners are looking at the free agent class of quarterback to make sure they don’t get into a situation like the Green Bay Packers were and hit the skids when their starter gets hurt. NFL scribe Bryan Knowles recently looked at some possible free agent targets and points out that Josh Freeman is drawing some interest from the Niners.
"What Freeman needs is a stable situation to rebuild his career—and the 49ers would fit that bill. Coach Jim Harbaugh could help rebuild his confidence and skill set, and there’s definitely some interest there. It was reported that the 49ers were looking at Freeman just after he was released from Tampa Bay."
While he’s far from being a solid backup option — or even a solid emergency option at this point — it’s hard to deny that Freeman has serious talent buried somewhere within him.
Harbaugh may take him on as a project, as the Niners have shown with guys like McCoy and the drafting of Marcus Lattimore, that they’re dedicated to the idea of building a guy up rather than getting a guy who’s hot.