Alex Boone missed the entire preseason in a contract hold out, a high-risk move that netted him a favorable new deal with San Francisco.
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On Saturday, San Fran officially activated Boone from the exempt list, meaning he is ready to go for Sunday’s season opening game against Dallas.
The expectation is that Boone will start despite missing all of camp and preseason. I guess veteran offensive linemen don’t need that much practice to get ready for the season.
To make room for Boone on the roster, the 49ers have cut wide receiver Kassim Osgood. He should land on another team soon given his value as a special teams player.
Boone returns to the 49ers after inking a new deal that ups his total pay over the next two seasons from $3.7 million to $6 million.
More importantly for Boone from a long-term point of view, his new contract stipulates that the 49ers can’t franchise tag him after the deal expires.
So, the guy got paid. And he got to miss preseason. And he gets to play right away when the season starts. And he can’t be franchise tagged.
And they say hold outs never work. Well, this one did. Alex Boone played chicken with the 49ers and the 49ers blinked.
There has to be concern among front office types that Boone’s successful hold out will encourage more players to try the same thing. Boone was in a high-leverage situation due to the lack of adequate guard depth on the Niners’ roster.
That lack of depth is why Boone is going straight back into the lineup with no prep.