49ers Rumors: Malcolm Smith Expected to Sign Contract with San Francisco

The San Francisco 49ers will likely sign Malcolm Smith when free agency officially begins, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Wednesday.

Fox Sports' Peter Schrager first reported the two sides had mutual interest in a potential deal.

Smith appeared in 15 games for the Oakland Raiders in 2016 and finished with 103 combined tackles and an interception.

The 49ers have been busy this offseason. ESPN.com's Chris Mortensen reported they agreed to a deal with wideout Pierre Garcon, and they also have deals in place with another wide receiver, Marquise Goodwin, and quarterback Brian Hoyer, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Smith signed with the Raiders in 2015, a little over a year after he won MVP in the Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl XLVIII win over the Denver Broncos.

His two seasons in Oakland were largely underwhelming. Pro Football Focus graded him the 67th-best linebacker (49.7) in 2016.

The MMQB's Andy Benoit offered this critical assessment of the 27-year-old:

With more reasonable expectations around Smith in 2017, he could be a sensible addition for the 49ers. The Sacramento Bee's Matt Barrows also noted a connection between Smith and San Francisco's new defensive coordinator:

Niners general manager John Lynch hasn't been shy about using the team's abundance of salary-cap space this offseason. It's a big gamble for Lynch, who's in his first year on the job.

While signing Smith wouldn't transform San Francisco's defense, he'd help improve a unit that ranked 28th in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) last year, per Football Outsiders.