Veteran defensive tackle D'Marco Farr, who hasn't played in an NFL game since 2000 but has hinted several times at a possible comeback, has signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers, team officials confirmed.

The deal is worth the veteran minimum base salary of $655,000 for a player of Farr's league tenure. It is believed there was no signing bonus.

"We're hoping he'll be able to get in top shape, compete very aggressively, and compete for a chance to win one of the (backup) jobs," general manager Terry Donahue said.

None of those challenges, it seems, will be easily met by Farr, who has spent most of his two years away from the game working for Fox Sports.

Farr, 31, weighed in at 315-320 pounds when he worked out for San Francisco coaches and scouts recently. His hallmark during a seven-year career with the St. Louis Rams, in which he played at about 280 pounds, was quickness. While the 49ers roster is not deep at the tackle spot, the team did sign veterans Travis Kirschke (Detroit) and Ross Kolodziej (New York Giants) in the past few weeks to bolster the position. Team officials have apprised Farr that he faces an uphill battle to earn a roster spot.

In addition to the physical element involved, Farr is still dealing with the March 2002 death of his three-year-old son, Grant, from a viral infection. In recent years, Farr has said he lost a substantial amount of money in allegedly bad investments with Donald Lukens, a California businessman.

The former University of Washington standout, who made the Rams roster while the club was still in Los Angeles and as an undrafted college free agent in 1994, had worked out in the last two years for a few teams. But the same knee problems that forced St. Louis to cut him after the 2000 season still persisted and thwarted his comeback attempts.

Farr was a vital component in the St. Louis victory in Super Bowl XXXIV in 1999. He started 87 games and appeared in 100 contests in his seven seasons with the franchise. Farr had 250 total tackles, 36½ sacks, 12 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, three interceptions and 25 pass deflections.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.