Young Appears Done as a 49er

At 38, is quarterback Steve Young finished?

Bill Walsh apparently thinks so.

Mike Shanahan does not.

Having asked for and received permission from Walsh, the San Francisco 49er general manager, to negotiate with Denver, Young met with Shanahan, the Bronco coach, on Monday.

The talks went so well that one source predicted that Young would become a Bronco in the next few days.

Whether he does or not, it appears certain that Young’s days as a 49er, the team the two-time most valuable player led to a Super Bowl victory in 1994, are over. Walsh is expected to cut a key link to his team’s glorious past because of monetary considerations and the continuing question of Young’s fitness to play after having suffered four concussions in three years.

“He has not been cleared to play with the San Francisco 49ers and we weren’t headed in a direction where he may have been cleared,” said Walsh at a news conference Monday night.

Asked if Young’s return to San Francisco was likely, Walsh replied, “It doesn’t appear that way.”

If the 49ers were to keep Young on the roster, it would cost them $5.125 million toward the salary cap this season and up to $8.8 million next season. If they tried to trade him, it would accelerate signing bonuses in his contract. The cheapest route for a team facing serious cap problems would be to release Young. That is the route the 49ers are expected to take by Friday, if not sooner.

The medical reason for cutting ties with Young, who spent 13 seasons with the 49ers, is not so clear. Although he missed the final 13 games of last season because of his most recent concussion, Young has passed a series of neurological tests and shows no signs of permanent brain damage.

Walsh’s statement on the subject is as cloudy as Young was after getting hit last season.

“I think he can play football, certainly,” Walsh said.

But, in the same breath, he contradicted himself.

“We have not cleared him for obvious reasons,” Walsh quickly added. “It’s just like a heavyweight fighter would go into a bout with a history of being knocked out. But obviously, Denver believes he’s physically fit to play.”

What is also obvious is that, if Walsh felt Young was still able to throw with the effectiveness that he demonstrated in becoming the highest-rated passer in NFL history, Walsh would pay Young his salary, cut elsewhere to solve his cap problems and wave those neorological tests in the face of anyone who questioned the wisdom of putting Young back in harm’s way.

Instead, the team that soared for so long on the arms of Joe Montana and Young will now either hope that a worthy successor emerges from the likes of Jeff Garcia, Tim Rattay and Giovanni Carnazzi, or look for help via either a trade or free agency.

With Young, the 49er starter since 1991, sidelined most of last season, San Francisco lost 11 of its last 13 games,

The nightmare scenario for Walsh is that he gives up on Young and the quarterback then proves that he is still the old Young, able to lead Denver back to the glory it knew under another superstar quarterback, John Elway.

Walsh had hoped to avoid that scenario altogether by getting Young to quit on his own.

“He’s had a brilliant career,” Walsh said. “He’s become one of the most famous men in sports. He’s been a world champion. I feel his best option is retirement but that’s not his option. He has a choice to continue to play.”

And that’s apparently his choice.

In another cost-cutting move, cornerback R.W. McQuarters, a disappointment since the 49ers made him their top draft pick in 1998, was traded to the Chicago Bears for an undisclosed conditional 2001 draft pick.

The 49ers are also close to a renegotiated deal with wide receiver Jerry Rice that would free up additional money. It could be completed today.

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