The San Francisco 49ers have agreed to a deal with free agent safety Madieu Williams, according to various reports and sources. The safety will report to camp in the coming days once the deal is finalized.
Williams has always possessed the talent to be one of the better safeties in the league, but injuries and the inability to perform consistently stunted his development while playing in Minnesota. He was officially granted his release, according to Gil Alcaraz IV:
After two years of utter disappointment, the Vikings have finally bid farewell to free safety Madieu Williams(notes), making his release official on Thursday, July 28. Although the fact that he was due over $5 million at the end of the season was a big part of the Vikings decision to sever ties, his on-field performance was what led to him being stripped of his horns.
One team's loss is another team's gain and Williams will now head to San Francisco with hopes to resurrect his career. News came from Matt Miaocco's tweet:
The 49ers agree to terms free-agent safety Madieu Williams, source says.
Miaocco also speculated on something else once the news broke:
The one-year agreement with Madieu Williams would seem to cast serious doubts on whether Dashon Goldson is coming back to 49ers.
If able to both stay healthy and get his head straight, Williams could be a very valuable addition to the 49ers secondary. Here's hoping the safety can turn his one-year deal into a multi-year deal and solidifies himself as a staple in San Francisco for many seasons.