The 49ers’ relentless fortification of their roster yielded three more moves Thursday: the signings of quarterback Josh Johnson, return specialist Ted Ginn Jr. and wide receiver Mario Manningham.
While Manningham agreed to his two-year deal Saturday and finally made it official five days later, the acquisitions of Johnson and Ginn came as a bit of a surprise but not a total shock.
Johnson, an Oakland native and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup, signed a two-year deal. Ginn visited three teams before opting to return on a one-year pact.
Johnson told this newspaper Tuesday morning he wanted to join the 49ers, even if Alex Smith returned as the incumbent quarterback. Well, Smith agreed to a three-year
deal later Tuesday, and now he’ll be competing with Johnson and Colin Kaepernick, last year’s second-round draft pick.
“It’s a great organization, and they were a great team last year, so most definitely I would,” Johnson said in Tuesday’s phone interview from his Tampa, Fla., home.
“Josh is a promising young player that has experience in our offensive system,” 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said in a statement. “He is a skilled athlete with a good arm talent. Josh has shown promise in limited action, both as a backup and starter at the NFL level.”
Johnson played at the University of San Diego under current 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and was 0-5 all-time as a starer with the Buccaneers, who picked him in the fifth round
of the 2008 draft. He met with members of the Washington Redskins on Wednesday and is scheduled to talk with Bay Area media Friday. He did not immediately return a call Thursday night seeking comment.
“No matter where you go, there’ll be competition,” Johnson said Tuesday. “You have to hope a team gives you the best opportunity to put your best foot forward. The 49ers, they came within a quarter (or overtime) of the Super Bowl.”
The 49ers’ Super Bowl bid ended with an NFC Championship
game loss to the New York Giants, a 20-17 defeat Ginn missed because of a nagging knee injury. His replacement, Kyle Williams, botched two punt returns for game-changing turnovers.
“Everybody said it’s Kyle fault, but it’s not right. It’s a team game,” Ginn said on a media conference call. “It was very hard (not to play). You work so hard to be there.”
Ginn reunited with his 49ers “family” on a one-year deal. He’s been the 49ers’ primary return specialist since they acquired him in a 2010 trade with the Miami Dolphins. Ginn, a five-year veteran, took free agency visits to the Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings.
He started his 2011 season in record fashion, becoming the first 49er to return a punt and a
kickoff for touchdowns in the same game, clinching a 33-17 win over the visiting Seattle Seahawks.
“He is a versatile player and an excellent teammate that will continue to play an important role for us on both offense and special teams,” Baalke said in a statement.
During Ginn’s visit to the Lions, he told the Free-Press he was looking to emerge more as a receiver than a return specialist. That could be a tough task on the 49ers, who’ve added Randy Moss and Manningham to their receiver stable.
Ginn said he merely wants an opportunity to compete at receiver, having tallied 19 receptions for 220 yards and no touchdowns last season in 14 games and three starts.
As for Moss’ addition, Ginn said: “He’s an icon. To have
that player on your team and all the accolades he has, and to come to a great team we have, and to put all that together — it should be something to see.”
Manningham, an Ohio native like Ginn, agreed to a two-year contract Saturday that finally became official earlier Thursday. Manningham picked the 49ers over the St. Louis Rams, but not because of the possibility that his quarterback might be Peyton Manning.
“I thought (Manning) was going to the 49ers, but he didn’t and went to Denver,” said Manningham, who caught clutch passes from Eli Manning in the Giants’ Super Bowl run. “We’ve got Alex Smith, and he’s a great player. He played good last year.”
A third-round pick in the 2008 draft by the Giants, Manningham acknowledged
that he was disappointed to leave his original team, noting: “Who wouldn’t want to come back to the team that drafted them? But that’s in the past, and I won a Super Bowl with them. I give them credit for teaching me things. But this is my new team.”
Also part of that wide receiving corps is Williams, who received a pep talk from Ginn after last season’s tough finale.
“I talked to him that day and tried to tell him to keep his head up, stay positive and he’s got long time to regroup from this,” Ginn said.
The 49ers’ busy offseason also includes the re-signings of Smith, cornerback Carlos Rogers, linebackers Ahmad Brooks and Tavares Gooden, defensive backs C.J. Spillman and Tramaine Brock, and defensive tackle Will Tukuafu. Safety Dashon Goldson has drawn the 49ers’ franchise tender of $6.2 million this season but has yet to sign it.
For more on the 49ers, see Cam Inman’s Hot Read blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers.
Not much else going on in the NFL world today.
