"On the first day of their offseason, 49ers cornerback Tarell Brown and safety Donte Whitner were already looking ahead to next season.

Less than 24 hours removed from playing, they were pitching. Both players were lobbying for their partners in the secondary to return to San Francisco in 2012.

Asked about his fellow cornerback, impending free agent Carlos Rogers, Brown said, "He's a tremendous player, a tremendous competitor and a tremendous teammate. I would love to play with him next year. We have a great thing going here. We have a special team.""