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Say goodbye to DE Justin Smith, LB Lance Briggs and CB Asante Samuel. All have been franchised by their respective teams.

As the market narrows, the best fit in free agency for the 49ers remains Pro Bowl LB Adalius Thomas. The Ravens current cap situation will make it extremely difficult to franchise him, so expect him to hit the market. The team attempted trades for both Thomas and CB Nate Clements before the trade deadline but the asking price from the Ravens and Bills were too high (2nd round pick). Clements and the Bills have a good faith agreement that he will not be franchised again. The 49ers have the cash to make a serious run at both players with over 37 million in cap space, so look for the team to pursue both players aggressively.

For their own players, the 49ers are looking to retain both Eric Johnson and Bryant Young in reduced roles. Young has already made it clear that he doesn't want to play for another team, if an agreement is not reached expect him to retire. Johnson will likely hit the open market and only be retained if he doesn't find a team willing to give him starter money.