Whitner signs deal with 49ers

Associated Press

SANTA CLARA, Calif.

Donte Whitner stepped on the field for the first time with the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, welcoming the responsibility that comes with his new role as the most experienced and highest-paid safety on the team.

Whitner officially signed his three-year deal with San Francisco earlier in the day, giving the 49ers a veteran leader in their revamped secondary and a missing piece in the 3-4 scheme being implemented by new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

Whitner’s aggressive in-the-box style is well-suited to Fangio’s defense, and the sixth-year veteran also is determined to help mend what’s broken in a unit that ranked 24th in the NFL last season in passing defense.

“We have a lot of work to do on the back end, and I think everybody here knows it,” Whitner said. “We know it in the secondary, and we’re looking forward to it. I’m taking responsibility for getting this secondary in San Francisco to be one of the top secondaries in the league. We’re a long way from that right now, but we’ll get there.”

The 49ers will not re-sign Dashon Goldson, leaving their best safety over the past two seasons as a free agent on the open market. San Francisco wanted Goldson back, but when a contract agreement couldn’t be reached, the 49ers turned their attention to Whitner, who led all NFL defensive backs last season with 140 tackles for the Buffalo Bills.

Whitner signed a deal reportedly worth $11.75 million with $4 million guaranteed. He chose the 49ers over the Cincinnati Bengals, whom Whitner said offered him a similar contract.

Whitner is the second former first-round draft pick to join San Francisco’s secondary this week. Whitner was the No. 8 overall selection of the 2006 NFL draft and cornerback Carlos Rogers, signed to a one-year deal Wednesday, was the No. 9 overall pick of the 2005 draft.

With Whitner taking over at strong safety, the 49ers can move fourth-year veteran Reggie Smith to his natural position of free safety, where Goldson had started San Francisco’s last 32 games. Smith broke into the starting lineup at strong safety near midseason last year.

Whitner is excited about the potential of pairing with Smith at a position that will hold different responsibilities for the 49ers than it has in the past.

“I do think it’s a good complement,” Whitner said. “Reggie can make plays and he really knows what he’s doing out there. You have two different skill sets, and especially in this type of defense — the 3-4 where you want to come after guys — you have to have guys with two different skill sets.”