However, in terms of the San Francisco 49ers, much of the attention has been focused on whether they will be able keep their key pieces with the organisation.
It is the future of head coach Jim Harbaugh that has attracted the most media speculation following the bizarre reports that the Cleveland Browns had discussed a trade with San Francisco for Harbaugh's services.
Those reports have since been verified by both the Browns and the 49ers, whose owner Jed York insisted that talks did not progress very far.
Yet the rumours concerning Harbaugh's future are refusing to go away, with CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reporting that the former Stanford coach is barely speaking with general manager Trent Baalke.
Harbaugh believes he has outperformed his current contract, of which he still has two years left and is, - after three straight NFC Championship game appearances and one Super Bowl bow - reportedly keen to become one of the highest paid coaches in the NFL.
However, if La Canfora's report is to be believed, then the 49ers may have to choose between Harbaugh and Baalke.
It is a worrying situation for 49ers fans, who have seen their team transformed under Harbaugh in the last three seasons, and ahead of a crucial off-season, let's hope that their issues can be resolved in the near future.
There is some promising news for 49ers fans to enjoy, however, with ESPN's Adam Schefter reporting that the Niners and wide receiver Anquan Boldin are "closing in" on a new deal.
Schefter's report ties in with the the positive comments made by both Harbaugh and Baalke surrounding Boldin's prospective extension.
Locking Boldin down to a new contract would be an extremely positive step for San Francisco. Boldin was exceptional in filling the void left by the injured Michael Crabtree and, while he no longer possesses all the tools of a complete wide receiver, his physicality should continue to be a huge asset to the 49ers.
Among the other 49ers set to become free agents on March 11 is strong safety Donte Whitner.
San Francisco had feared that they would be unable to keep Whitner due to salary cap concerns but, according to the Sacramento Bee's Matt Barrows, there is now an increased confidence that Whitner will stay in the bay following the move to reduce backup Craig Dahl's base salary from $1.35 million to $825,000.
Meanwhile, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News reports that talks over a prospective extension for Colin Kapernick have got off to a positive start.
Kaepernick has his detractors, but there can be no doubt that these early signs of progress are good news for a 49ers organisation eager to maintain the core of a championship calibre team.
Schefter's report ties in with the the positive comments made by both Harbaugh and Baalke surrounding Boldin's prospective extension.
Locking Boldin down to a new contract would be an extremely positive step for San Francisco. Boldin was exceptional in filling the void left by the injured Michael Crabtree and, while he no longer possesses all the tools of a complete wide receiver, his physicality should continue to be a huge asset to the 49ers.
Among the other 49ers set to become free agents on March 11 is strong safety Donte Whitner.
San Francisco had feared that they would be unable to keep Whitner due to salary cap concerns but, according to the Sacramento Bee's Matt Barrows, there is now an increased confidence that Whitner will stay in the bay following the move to reduce backup Craig Dahl's base salary from $1.35 million to $825,000.
Meanwhile, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News reports that talks over a prospective extension for Colin Kapernick have got off to a positive start.
Kaepernick has his detractors, but there can be no doubt that these early signs of progress are good news for a 49ers organisation eager to maintain the core of a championship calibre team.
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