• New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.

CB Nate Clements (All B1G, NFL Pro Bowl)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
Maiocco: Exploring the Clements-to-safety question
July 11, 2011
Matt Maiocco
CSNBayArea.com

497787.jpg

In four seasons with the 49ers, Clements has 10 interceptions. In six seasons in Buffalo, he compiled 23 interceptions. (AP)

During the reported three-day window in which teams will have exclusive rights to negotiate with their own free agents, teams are expected to have the freedom to negotiate with their own players who are already under contract.

For the 49ers, that means they will have the ability to approach cornerback Nate Clements with proposals for the 2011 season.

Clements is on the books to earn $7.25 million in base salary, in addition to $7.95 million in "likely-to-be-earned" incentives. His "cap value" stands at a cumbersome $17.37 million.

So there are obviously questions about the 10-year veteran's future with the 49ers. Team and league sources told CSN Bay Area in January that Clements would have to accept a reduced salary to return to the 49ers in 2011.

One of the oft-asked questions from 49ers fans about Clements goes something like this, "Are the 49ers thinking of moving him to safety?"

But that question ignores the major issue with Clements: His pricetag.

If the 49ers do not believe Clements is worth the large sum of money as a cornerback, they certainly do not believe he is worth that kind of investment as a safety.

All things equal, cornerbacks make more money than safeties. In 2010, the franchise number for cornerbacks was $9.6 million. The franchise number for safeties was $6.5 million. According to Mac's Football Blog, the franchise numbers this year are projected at $14.4 million for corners and $8.8 million for safeties.

Cont...
Click to expand...

http://www.csnbayarea.com/07/11/11/...ng_maiocco_v3.html?blockID=540570&feedID=2539
 
Upvote 0
bucknut502;1951958; said:
Hey if they don't want him maybe Fickell will hire him to coach up our corners...:biggrin:
Click to expand...

Yeah I mean if they want to save some money I'm sure guys like Morgan Trent and Marlin Jackson would take the job for a hell of a lot less.
 
Upvote 0
Q: What?s your thinking on Nate Clements? Is he a cornerback? Is he someone you have to think about moving to safety?

-BAALKE: I know there?s been talk out there, is it time for Nate to move to safety? I?m quite confident in the thought process that Nate?s a corner. Is he a guy that can lock down on the perimeter or move inside? the thing that?s always been a strength of Nate?s is his versatility.

Could he play safety? Could someone envision him playing safety at some point? Certainly. He?s smart enough, he?s certainly physical enough, and he has the skills to play back there. But that?s not what we?re looking at him as.

-Q: He?d be a pretty expensive safety.

-BAALKE: Right.

-Q: Would Clements be a guy who?s salary you might try to ratchet down, either way?

-BAALKE: I?ve said this a long time ago, I?m not in a position or would I want to discuss the details of contracts with the media relative to any player on our roster.
Click to expand...

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawaka...free-agent-chaos-harbaugh-camp-alex-and-more/
 
Upvote 0
San Francisco 49ers CB Nate Clements: This one is interesting. He's the league's first $10 million-a-year cornerback. He has struggled in the past couple of years, and now he has a $17.36 million cap number. There are some people in San Francisco who believe the 49ers might consider signing Nnamdi Asomugha. Releasing Clements frees up $14 million. If he stays, he'll have to take a pay cut.
Click to expand...

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6786350/reggie-bush-potential-cap-casualties
 
Upvote 0
Reports: 49ers will release CB Nate Clements; clear $15.7 million in cap space
0

Any ideas what the 49ers could do with an extra $15 million in salary cap space?

In a move that could conceivably pave a path to San Francisco for big-ticket, free-agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, the Niners told cornerback Nate Clements, 31, he will be released, according to multiple national reports.

The 49ers were asking the 10-year veteran to accept a paycut to remain in San Francisco, but the two sides reportedly were unable to agree on the terms. Clements' agent, Todd France, did not immediately return a phone message this morning.

With the release of Clements, San Francisco will clear out $15.7 million in cap space. As it happens, the market value for Asomugha is in the $12- to $14-million range, according to NFL Network's Michael Lombardi.

Lombardi also said, via Twitter, that the Texans may have become frontrunners to obtain the services of Asomugha, who also counts the 49ers and Jets as his most aggressive pursuers.

Clements never realized the expectations that were created when San Francisco made him, at the time, the highest-paid defender in NFL history with an eight-year, $80 million contract in 2007.

In his four seasons with the Niners, Clements had 10 interceptions and averaged 68 tackles.
Click to expand...

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/ninerinsider/detail?entry_id=94140#ixzz1TQESCnYQ
 
Upvote 0
Bengals signed CB Nate Clements, formerly of the 49ers.
The Bengals have their Johnathan Joseph replacement in a 31 year old that was cut loose by the 49ers on Thursday. It wasn't an erosion of skills that got Clements cut, however, but his gargantuan $17 million cap number. He looked to still have plenty left in the tank last season, notching 82 tackles and three interceptions. That's just not $17 million production.
Click to expand...

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/2298/nate-clements

Source: Nate Clements to Bengals
ESPN.com news services

The Cincinnati Bengals have reached agreement on a deal with cornerback Nate Clements, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Cornerback was an area of need for Cincinnati, particularly after the loss of Johnathan Joseph to the Houston Texans earlier this week. The San Francisco 49ers released Clements Thursday.

The 10-year veteran started every game for the Niners during a disappointing 6-10 campaign last season. He returned in 2010 after missing the final nine games in 2009, when he broke his right shoulder blade in San Francisco's 18-14 loss at Indianapolis on Nov. 1 that year.

San Francisco was eager to see more big plays from Clements last season after giving him an $80 million, eight-year contract in March 2007. The former first-round pick by Buffalo was among the most prized players available in free agency that year and often matched up with top opposing receivers.

Clements finished with 82 tackles, one sack, three forced fumbles and three interceptions last season. He also had a major gaffe that led to San Francisco's fourth straight loss to start the year, fumbling after making a key interception late in a 16-14 loss to Atlanta.
Click to expand...

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6...als-nate-clements-reach-agreement-source-says
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top