SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh insists the 49ers planned to have Alex Smith as their quarterback even while they examined the possibility of signing then-free agent Peyton Manning.
Harbaugh ended his weekly meeting with reporters on Wednesday by addressing what he says is the “erroneous perception that we were flirting with Peyton Manning.”
Harbaugh called the reports silly and phony, then spoke at length about his and the team’s ongoing support for Smith.
Smith signed a three-year, $33 million contract to remain in San Francisco in March, only a few days after Manning agreed to a $96 million, five-year contract with the Denver Broncos.
