The 49ers made a strong push to sign Warner. They flew Warner and his wife, Brenda, in a private jet to the San Francisco area and transported them in a stretch Range Rover.

The 49ers say they never gave Warner a "formal offer," but their "informal offer" met Warner's demands of $15 million a year. Regardless of the intention, the 49ers played a pivotal role in Warner's ability to get more money from the Arizona Cardinals, who signed him to a two-year, $23 million contract.

The 49ers entered the offseason apparently content with a two-man quarterback competition involving Shaun Hill and Alex Smith. Coach Mike Singletary and general manager Scot McCloughan expressed doubt that the team could acquire anyone who would provide an upgrade at quarterback over the players already on the roster.

The 49ers knew Warner's intent all along was to return to the Cardinals, but they were confident they could convince him that the 49ers would be a good fit.

When the 49ers were pursuing Warner, McCloughan said he would not close the door on Smith's return to the 49ers, regardless of what happened with Warner. And on March 10, the team announced it had restructured Smith's contract.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but he is assumed to have agreed to a significant cut from the $9.625 million base salary he was due to earn next season as part of the rookie contract he signed after being selected No. 1 overall in 2005. He played three games at the beginning of 2007 before suffering a separated throwing shoulder. He tried to return but played three ineffective games before undergoing season-ending surgery.

"I really felt like I had unfinished business here," said Smith. "I felt like this was the team that brought me out and gave me my first chance and I really felt like I have a lot to prove here to myself, to the organization, to my teammates, to the fans, and to really become the player I set out to become when I first came out of college. I'm grateful that they gave me the opportunity to stay here and to be a part of this."

Coach Mike Singletary hasn't publicly commented on whether Shaun Hill will enter the offseason conditioning program as the starting quarterback, or if Smith will be involved in an open competition.

"I don't know the specifics about how this first mini-camp will work out as far as who's taking snaps with who," Smith said. "I'm just excited they're going to give me a chance to compete for the starting job and that's it. I guess I'm not totally sure on the specifics. I'm sure they'll work themselves out as we move along, but (I'm) just excited that I'll get a chance to compete."

Because Singletary is a first-year coach, the 49ers have one additional minicamp this offseason. The 49ers will get together for the first time this offseason, beginning March 16.

The 49ers did not sign Warner, but they did acquire veteran backup Damon Huard, who was released by the Kansas City Chiefs last month.