NFL free agents are often treated to special treats and perks when visiting prospective new teams, like rides on owners' private jets, or generous gifts of athletic gear and team goodies.
Or, in the San Francisco 49ers' case, tweets from their starting Pro Bowl linebacker telling you that you suck.
The 49ers brought Giants' backup QB David Carr in for a free agent visit over the weekend, and on Sunday signed Carr to a two-year contract, the Chronicle reports.
Carr rolled into Santa Clara Friday for his free agent visit with the Niners, a move that surprised and puzzled many 49er fans. The Mercury News' Tim Kawakami declared "It’s a waste of time for the 49ers" in a blog post entitled "The 49ers. David Carr. I don't get it, either".
But the hardest-hitting bashes came from 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis' Twitter account. This weekend, Willis' Twitter feed was home to more drama than a ladies' room at the Oscars. "For real for what," Willis tweeted, not long after Carr arrived in Santa Clara, "we have 3 qb's that are better then him."
I don't know what "for real for what" is intended to mean, but otherwise it sounds like Patrick Willis is not a big David Carr fan. And Willis wasn't done with Carr yet. "I'm saying if we going to go get another qb" Willis tweeted a few hours later, "spend money on a difference maker. Like vick."
You had me up until right there, Patrick Willis.
Sports
In Willis' defense, he's sticking up for teammates Alex Smith and Shaun Hill. "I know what alex has and I have seen carr play. I'll take my chances with *alex*," Willis tweeted.
That's probably meant as a compliment to Alex Smith, even though "take my chances" wasn't necessarily the most flattering choice of words.
By Friday evening, it appears someone may have given Willis a good yelling-at for his brutal honesty. "I apologize if I hurt some feelings and if carr becomes my teammate," Willis told the Twitterverse late Friday night.
By Sunday, Carr had become Willis' teammate. And by the way some 49ers fans are reacting, Willis isn't the only one who's sorry about it.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who would point out to Patrick Willis that David Carr had almost the exact same quarterback rating in 2009 as did Michael Vick.
