Excellent point on the 49ers cap issue. I think Goldson will be let go. And this 49ers team is in major need to clear space b/c they have plenty of talent coming off their rookie contracts that are going to need pay raises - Crabtree, Kaep, Iupati, Davis ...
It's funny how rubes like us know this stuff, yet national medial pundits completely ignore this fact when creating rumors. For instance, 49ers have a ton of picks this draft - far too many than they'll ever need. Of course, they aren't going to deal some. Thus, a rumor is spreading that it may use the extra picks to go after Revis. Good fit and assets to do it. But of course, fitting Revis' contract against their cap is nearly impossible. Minor detail that goes unreported.
I posited a few weeks ago that Goldson might be an interesting Packer FA acquisition, thinking SF couldn't tag him under cap constraints. Media sources assured me he'd be franchised. I doubt it. The problem I see is that while Goldson was named All Pro he's probably not quite that kind of player, so the price tag might be a bit too high.
(1) Cutting Finley or (2) "cap friendly" deals (i.e., large signing bonuses) for Rodgers and/or Matthews or (3) letting Rodgers and/or Matthews wait until the next off season would supply the necessary cap room. I have perhaps a dimmer view of our incumbents at the safety position than most. This move would free up the top three picks for filling needs at a number of positions.
I may be in the minority, but if the injury situations with Bishop and Sherrod do not go our way and Finley needs to go make the other pieces work, this team has too many serious holes heading into a tough schedule...S, DE, ILB, LT, TE, TB.
To take one example, swapping Finley's $ for Goldson and Eifert in the first round would be sweet, if Eifert is still on the board. If he isn't there's plenty of work to be done elsewhere.