Jim Harbaugh wants to help Tarell Brown.
The San Francisco 49ers cornerback lost two-thirds of his 2013 salary when his agent failed to make him aware of a contract escalator clause that obligated Brown to attend voluntary offseason workouts. By working out on his own in Dallas, Brown inadvertently forfeited $2 million.
Brown learned of his error on Twitter and quickly fired his agent. Next was a conversation with the 49ers in an effort to recoup all or some of the lost money. It's unknown if the team will work with Brown, but he has a supporter in his coach.
"Just think there's a solution there," Harbaugh said Sunday, according to Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. "I don't know that it's any one particular thing, but you explore all those options and find the solution. It's there, we just got to do some work and get it done. We're motivated to do that because he deserves it, he's earned it. I don't want to see him playing for the minimum when he's a starting, top-line player."
In an interesting twist, Harbaugh explained that Brown and his erstwhile agent, Brian Overstreet, weren't the only people unaware of the contract language. According to Harbaugh, the 49ers didn't realize it either. Harbaugh said the team would have alerted Brown had it known.
"I just think it was an unfortunate situation," Harbaugh said. "I feel confident knowing that the people involved, had they known anything, then they would've brought that to his attention. Unfortunately, nobody caught it. It was a real torpedo nobody wanted to see."
As things stand, Brown now is scheduled to make $925,000, a serious bargain for a starter whom ProFootballFocus.com ranked 13th among all cornerbacks last season. We'll find out if Harbaugh's sympathy carries any weight inside the 49ers' facility.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
