Alex Smith: 49ers QB Looking Forward to Competing with Peyton

Alex Smith, who was seemingly in the background when he and the 49ers found themselves in the middle of the NFL’s biggest free agent vortex known as the pursuit of Peyton Manning, said Wednesday that he relished the chance to compete with the former Colt and sure-fire Hall-of-Famer.

Manning ended the suspense Monday by picking the Denver Broncos. On Wednesday, Smith signed a three-year contract worth a reported $24 million that can climb to $33 million—of which $16.5 million is guaranteed—with the 49ers, which had been offered to him prior to free agency.

Smith said during a conference call with reporters on Wednesday that he is "happy."

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“For me this was the plan all along...to be back here. It dragged out a little but I'm glad it's over. Obviously, it was a little unexpected, but this is free agency and the NFL.”

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He said that he was informed by the 49ers' head coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke of their interest in Manning.

Was he offended?

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“Not offended at all,” said Smith. “I relished the opportunity to compete with Manning.”

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And of his relationship with Harbaugh? Exactly the same.

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"As good as they have always been and getting better,” Smith said.

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The idea of having Manning and Smith on the team seems preposterous, to say the least. And expensive. Did the Niners make it clear to him that he’d be welcome back if Manning had agreed to come to San Francisco?

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"I’m not sure of the timeline, that when they came to me when they first started to look into it. But the contract was out there the whole time. That was my understanding. This is my job. I earned it. I have earned the right to compete for it."

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Later in the call, Smith offered more on being on the same team as Manning. In the first conversation with Harbaugh about the team’s interest in Manning, Smith said it was about competition and the best man winning:

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"That’s always been the way with Jim. It was the same way last year. There was nothing laid out for you. That’s Jim. It’s about competition. It’s about the best guy playing and what’s best for the team. And I’m all for that. And it’s not very different this year."

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A report last week surfaced that Smith was thinking about firing agent Tom Condon, who also represented Manning.

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“That has never been an issue for me,” said Smith. “We have a good relationship. I don’t know where that report came from. I didn’t have any issues with that at all.”

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But Smith did take a red-eye flight last week to Miami, and there were reports that he also was going to visit Seattle. But in short order, the Seahawks signed Matt Flynn, the free agent from Green Bay, and the Dolphins added David Garrard from Jacksonville. Just like that, it appeared that Smith’s opportunities seemed very limited.

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“I had never been to Miami Beach, and I thought it was a good way to go see it,” Smith said succinctly. What took so long to get a contract done with the 49ers?

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“This is my fourth contract, and I anticipated that it would move along quicker. The years and commitment have never been a commitment to me. The issues came more from a structure than anything.”

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The Niners have signed receivers Randy Moss and Mario Manningham to free-agent deals.

The draft is about a month away. Improving the passing game will be an offseason focus:

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"At times, we were better than others. But third down and the Red Zone jumps out at me. We just didn’t have the time to work on timing last year.

I am excited about it. In the NFL you’re never going to be the same team two years in a row. There’s always going to be faces going in and out. This is going to be my receiving corps and I’m excited in the offseason to put the work in and get better. We have room to improve and we need to."

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