The San Francisco 49ers head into the offseason with several question marks in free agency. Carlos Rogers presents one such question mark at the cornerback position. The team has some very solid young depth at the position and could likely survive losing Rogers. At the same time, it would drastically impact the depth chart when you go from Rogers-Tarell Brown-Chris Culliver to Brown-Culliver-Tramaine Brock (or something along those lines).
Rogers is coming off the best season of his career in which he earned a Pro Bowl nod and hauled in a career high in interceptions. Rogers has indicated he is willing to take a bit of a team discount because he likes the 49ers organization. At the same time, he still wants to get paid like a top cornerback. Rogers is reportedly looking for a four-to-five year deal.
The 49ers do have some options with the franchise tag, but they are more likely to use the tag on free safety Dashon Goldson. The franchise number for a safety is in the six million dollar range, while the tag for a corner is in the ten million dollar range. Add in the fact that the 49ers do not have many options behind Goldson like they do at cornerback, and it seems all the more likely that they tag Goldson.