Looking to further improve their receiving corps, the San Francisco 49ers signed Super Bowl champion Mario Manningham to a two-year deal.
The deal comes less than a week after the team landed Randy Moss who is looking to make a comeback in the NFL after sitting out the entire 2011 season.
The 25-year-old Manningham had 39 catches for 523 yards and four touchdowns total last year in his fourth NFL season. Manningham caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning with 8:34 remaining in regulation of the NFC title game to help New York reach the Super Bowl.
With the addition to Manningham and Randy Moss, the 49ers may be setting themselves up to go after free agent QB Peyton Manning.
According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com, San Francisco emerged as a third team along with Tennessee and Denver as teams interested in acquiring the future a Hall of Fame quarterback in Manning. This past Tuesday, Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman reportedly watched Manning throw then sent then requested a physical of him after the session.
San Francisco in recent weeks has kept their Manning interest under wraps and were expected to re-sign Alex Smith to a three-year deal. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on its Web site Saturday, citing a league source, that Smith was considering changing agents from Tom Condon, who also represents Manning.
With their increased fire power through the air, solid running game and good young defense the 49ers look to be the best possible fit for Manning. The big question now is whether or not Harbaugh and Manning would be able to co-exist on the football field for the betterment of the team.
Ref: ESPN.com, Twitter
