While veteran tight end Vernon Davis was making his presence known on the first day of San Francisco 49ers training camp, offensive lineman Alex Boone wasn’t anywhere to be found. This isn’t too surprising, especially considering all indications up to this point were that Boone would hold out if the 49ers did not give him a new deal.
Boone, who is entering his sixth season in the NFL after the 49ers signed him as an undrafted free agent back in 2009, has started all 16 games in each of the last two seasons and is among the best all-around guards in the entire league.
Boone signed a four-year, $6.5 million extension with the team back in December of 2011. At that point, he was Adam Snyder’s primary backup and had not started a single game in the NFL. It was a goodwill gesture from the 49ers, who had also hoped Boone would eventually take over for Snyder the following season…a scenario that played out perfectly for the team.
Now with a contract that is well below market value, Boone is prepared to be fined $30,000 a day in order to force the 49ers into giving him a new deal. Unfortunately for the guard, San Francisco has made it darn clear over the years that it won’t negotiate extensions with players who are holding out of camp.
Photo: Cleveland.com