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After failing to work out a contract compromise, the San Francisco 49ers will release veteran quarterback Jeff Garcia today, SportsLine.com's Jay Glazer has learned.
Garcia, a three-time Pro Bowler and San Francisco's starter since 1999, couldn't find middle ground in a difficult contract re-negotiation with the 49ers, who wanted to heavily reduce the $9.9 million salary he was due to make next season.
The team and Garcia's agent, Steve Baker, had been haggling over several issues, including the bonuses and performance clauses in the contract. Neither side has commented on specific issues, but the 49ers intend to make a decision before a $500,000 roster bonus comes due next week.
By releasing Garcia, the Niners would save $1.7 million against the salary cap. He still will count against the cap for $10.3 million next season, but he would be off the books for 2005 -- fitting into the 49ers' plan to get rid of all the "dead money" they owe to players no longer with the team.
Garcia's release is a sad, abrupt end to a storybook career for a local kid who got a chance to play for his favorite team while growing up in Gilroy, Calif.
Garcia passed for 2,704 yards and 18 touchdowns while battling various injuries for much of last season. He missed three games while injured -- and his longtime backup, Tim Rattay, looked sharp while going 2-1 and stoking a quarterback controversy.
After a standout collegiate career at San Jose State, Garcia was a star in the Canadian Football League, where he led the Calgary Stampeders to the Grey Cup in 1998.
Rattay, who passed for 856 yards last season, has two seasons left on the three-year, $4.8 million contract extension he signed in the fall. Ken Dorsey was the 49ers' third-string quarterback last season, and the team recently re-signed former backup QB Brandon Doman.
The first court hearing on Garcia's January arrest on DUI charges also is scheduled for Monday.
Source: sportsline
Garcia, a three-time Pro Bowler and San Francisco's starter since 1999, couldn't find middle ground in a difficult contract re-negotiation with the 49ers, who wanted to heavily reduce the $9.9 million salary he was due to make next season.
The team and Garcia's agent, Steve Baker, had been haggling over several issues, including the bonuses and performance clauses in the contract. Neither side has commented on specific issues, but the 49ers intend to make a decision before a $500,000 roster bonus comes due next week.
By releasing Garcia, the Niners would save $1.7 million against the salary cap. He still will count against the cap for $10.3 million next season, but he would be off the books for 2005 -- fitting into the 49ers' plan to get rid of all the "dead money" they owe to players no longer with the team.
Garcia's release is a sad, abrupt end to a storybook career for a local kid who got a chance to play for his favorite team while growing up in Gilroy, Calif.
Garcia passed for 2,704 yards and 18 touchdowns while battling various injuries for much of last season. He missed three games while injured -- and his longtime backup, Tim Rattay, looked sharp while going 2-1 and stoking a quarterback controversy.
After a standout collegiate career at San Jose State, Garcia was a star in the Canadian Football League, where he led the Calgary Stampeders to the Grey Cup in 1998.
Rattay, who passed for 856 yards last season, has two seasons left on the three-year, $4.8 million contract extension he signed in the fall. Ken Dorsey was the 49ers' third-string quarterback last season, and the team recently re-signed former backup QB Brandon Doman.
The first court hearing on Garcia's January arrest on DUI charges also is scheduled for Monday.
Source: sportsline