There is a silver lining to the 49ers losing their longest-tenured player this offseason.
San Francisco’s post-June 1 release of defensive tackle Arik Armstead created $18 million in 2024 salary cap space for the 49ers, per Over the Cap.
Due to multiple restructures, Armstead’s contract leaves San Francisco with $25.9 million in dead money to be spread out over the 2024 and 2025 NFL seasons. The 49ers will have a dead cap hit of $10.3 million this season and $15.6 million in 2025.
The 30-year-old defensive tackle had been with San Francisco for his entire nine-year NFL career after being selected in the first round of the 2015 draft. The former 49ers captain signed a three-year, $43 million dollar contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason, later saying he felt “disrespected” by San Francisco’s final offer before he was released.
Armstead’s official release leaves the 49ers with $25,245,331 in 2024 cap space, per Over the Cap. That gives San Francisco the flexibility to either allocate those additional funds toward contract extensions for a key player like wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, or potentially roll a substanial chunk of it over to the 2025 season when the 49ers will have signficantly less cap space to work with.
Armstead was a prominent figure during his time in the Bay Area, serving as a leader on and off the field while regularly serving the Northern California community with his philanthropic endeavors. The 30-year-old had a knack for stepping up in big games, finishing with the second-most playoff sacks in franchise history (eight), trailing only Nick Bosa (10).
As Armstead begins a new chapter in his career, he leaves his longtime team with a parting gift. How San Francisco decides to use the extra cap space will be a key storyline as the 2024 NFL season approaches.
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