The San Francisco 49ers retained a big piece of their defensive unit on Tuesday when they re-signed OLB Ahmad Brooks to a six-year, $44.5 million dollar deal. While this is certainly a big commitment for the 49ers -- more than $17 million of that money is guaranteed -- Brooks should continue to thrive alongside Aldon Smith and Parys Haralson. With the team just a month removed from nearly making the Super Bowl, why change things up?
Brooks met with the media after signing with San Francisco and discussed a wide variety of topics. The guys over at Niners Nation have a transcript of the conference call and provide us with a bit of the Q&A.
On the recent success of the team and if it had any impact on him wanting to stay with the 49ers:
"Yeah, most definitely. I've been in the NFL for a while now and I see the business side of it, but I also see a football player's perspective. And it's been a long journey for myself to put myself in the situation as a starter and not just that, but also making it to the playoffs. We had a lot of fun last year just winning. And everybody had fun from the owners to the managers, the equipment guys, everybody. And everybody was just excited. And the more games you win, the more exciting and the more fun it would be going out there to practice and play a game."
On his journey throughout the NFL and how some bad things help lead to better opportunities:
"Coming into the NFL as a young player, you get paid a certain amount of money that you've never seen before. So, I can see young guys coming into the NFL and doing things that they shouldn't do, or just enjoying themselves. And when you enjoy yourself you may enjoy yourself a little bit too much to where it can affect your performance. And I think that early on in my career that's what may have happened to me.
And once I got cut by the Bengals I just pretty much told myself that I would never let this happen again. Regardless of what goes on in my life, I will never let this happen again. So, I just pretty much had to re-evaluate myself as a player, as a person, to become the best person, and the best football player, that I could be because it's not going to last forever. And then once you retire from the game, once the NFL says "No" to you, we don't want you to play anymore, then you want to go out knowing that you did all that you could do to be the best that you could be. And that's where I'm at with myself."
And, finally, Brooks talks about what ultimately led him to re-signing with the team and why he did not get too involved with the free agency process:
"I don't know. Just something was telling me to sign here. I feel like this is where I should be. These are the people that gave me a chance to go out there and get this contract. From the time I got into the NFL I felt like I should have been starting. And coaches were always giving me an excuse like, ‘well he doesn't know the defense, he can't learn the defense.' That's a lie. That's always been a lie. We practice the same things every day. How can I not remember what I practiced every day? I'm just happy to get this chance at just having a coaching staff that believed in me to go out there and showcase my talent. So, that also plays a big part in that."
This signing seems like a great fit for all parties involved and fans can only hope Brooks continues to be a force on the defensive side of the ball. With quite a few young players involved in the front-seven next season, it will be very beneficial to coach Harbaugh and the coaching staff to have a proven veteran like Ahmad Brooks on the roster.
To discuss the signing with other fans and for all things 49ers, head on over to Niners Nation.