This post was written by Matt Hamm

The evidence is piling up; Jim Harbaugh’s words of praise towards Alex Smith are turning into actions. The 49ers newest head coach Jim Harbaugh said that he expects Smith to be part of a group of players that will come to the team’s facility Friday. Harbaugh heaped praise on Smith almost immediately after accepting the 49ers head coaching gig. He even went as far as to say he thought that Smith could become a championship QB in the NFL (yes the same Alex Smith that has played for the 49ers the last 6 seasons).

The 49ers chose OLB/DE Aldon Smith with the 7th pick in the draft and while other teams reached for a QB or traded up to take a passer the 49ers stayed pat ending the day without adding a passer. Harbaugh would become the third head coach since Smith was drafted in 2005 to coach Smith if he does return to the team. Smith cannot be fully blamed for the 49ers failures in recent seasons but the lackluster play at QB has without a doubt been a huge factor in the team’s lack of success.

The 49ers have openly admitted to offering Smith a one-year contract to return for a seventh season with the team. This can be viewed in a couple of ways, one is simply Harbaugh is telling the truth he thinks he can develop him into a starting QB and wants him on the team. Another is the team isn’t confident they can acquire another veteran QB to act as a stop-gap QB while a passer they draft sometime later on is groomed. Given Alex’s performance, lack of confidence, and the fans growing disdain for him many 49er fans are hoping the team is simply covering all their bases and will only fully cut ties with him when they have his replacement in hand.

With two more days of the draft left and free agency set to begin any day now 49er fans should know sooner rather than later who their next starting QB will be (and maybe who the intended future QB is). Should be an interesting few days to say the very least.

What are your thoughts on Alex Smith and the 49ers possibly hooking up again?