49ers guard Alex Boone held himself out of the team’s offseason activities, training camp and the preseason in hopes of landing a new contract with the team.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, that holdout is about to come to an end. Schefter reports that Boone is expected to report to the 49ers in the next 24 hours.
Boone will reportedly be returning to work with a reworked two-year deal rather than a new contract. PFT has learned via a league source that Boone’s total pay over the 2014 and 2015 seasons will go from a combined $3.7 million to $6 million. Boone also cannot be franchised when the deal is complete and all fines and forfeited money from his holdout have been waived.
The timing of the decision to find some middle ground with Boone strongly implies that the 49ers, who reportedly resisted trade overtures for the disgruntled Boone, didn’t feel all that secure about going into the regular season without their incumbent right guard. Joe Looney filled the position during the summer, but Boone should be back in the starting lineup before too much longer after the 49ers offense scuffled its way through the preseason.