SATURDAY, 12:32pm: Simpson’s two-year deal is worth $1.73MM, reports USA Today’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). The deal contains no guaranteed money.
THURSDAY, 4:36pm: After hosting him for a free agent visit, the 49ers have reached an agreement to sign wide receiver Jerome Simpson, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Financial terms of Simpson’s new deal aren’t yet known, but it’s a two-year contract, per a team release.
Simpson, 29, was suspended for the first three games of the 2014 season after he was arrested for a DUI, and was subsequently released by the Vikings before he became eligible to return to the field. Simpson has been arrested three times since 2012, and the fact that the 49ers are willing to bring him on board shows that the club isn’t inclined to shy away from players with off-field red flags following the release of Ray McDonald.
On the field, Simpson had his best seasons in 2011 and 2013, posting nearly identical numbers for the Bengals in ’11 (50 receptions, 725 yards, four touchdowns) to the ones he put up for Minnesota in ’13 (48 receptions, 726 yards, one TD).
The 49ers are expected to significantly overhaul their receiving corps this offseason, with Michael Crabtree and Brandon Lloyd heading to the open market and Stevie Johnson a likely cap casualty. Adding Simpson almost certainly won’t be the last move the team makes to address the group this month.