Antoine Bethea Reportedly Signs 3-Year Contract with Arizona Cardinals

Safety Antoine Bethea reportedly agreed to a three-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday, according to Kent Somers of AZCentral.com and Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.

Bethea, 32, was cut this offseason by the San Francisco 49ers after accumulating a team-leading 110 tackles to go along with one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 16 games. He was fully healthy after missing nine games in 2015 and has long been a productive safety, posting nine seasons with 85 or more tackles in his career.

But he became expendable to the Niners given his $7 million cap hit in 2017, his questionable fit in the team's new scheme and the fact that the 49ers still have Jimmie Ward, Eric Reid and Jaquiski Tartt on the roster at safety.

Ward, who had been playing cornerback, will potentially move to free safety, while Reid and Tartt will likely battle for the strong safety position.

Bethea saw the writing on the wall.

"I asked for my release," he told Josina Anderson of ESPN. "I think it was a better fit for both parties. I want to take some time to explore my options. I still got some ball left in me."

Indeed, given his productive 2016 campaign, Bethea should remain a solid option at safety next season. While he isn't an elite option at the position or a splashy signing, he should fill a need and provide the Cardinals with a veteran presence.

In Arizona, he'll slot in at the strong safety position opposite superstar Tyrann Mathieu. He'll replace free agent Tony Jefferson, who reportedly will sign with the Baltimore Ravens, per ESPN's Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini. Tyvon Branch is also a candidate to start opposite Mathieu, although injuries cut his 2016 season short and are a concern going forward.