On April 7th, 2024, Rory Parks reported that the San Francisco 49ers decided to release defensive tackle Arik Armstead last month as part of their efforts to free up salary cap space, especially given their significant investment in the defensive front. Armstead, originally drafted by the 49ers in 2015, was offered a reduced contract to stay with the team, but he declined. This led to him exploring options in the open market, ultimately signing a three-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Although initially reported as a $51 million contract, it was later clarified to be worth $43.5 million, with $28 million guaranteed at signing.
The decision to part ways with Armstead was influenced by Jacksonville’s willingness to offer a more lucrative contract than what San Francisco proposed. Armstead confirmed receiving a one-year, $6 million offer from the 49ers for 2024, potentially rising to $8 million with incentives. Despite understanding the business side of NFL decisions, Armstead expressed feeling “extremely disrespected” by the offer.
In replacing Armstead, the 49ers acquired Maliek Collins from the Houston Texans, who comes with an $8 million base salary and $8.47 million cap charge for 2024. The team plans to allocate the savings from Armstead’s release towards a new contract for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, although recent reports suggest that extension talks between Aiyuk and the 49ers are not progressing smoothly. Aiyuk remains under club control through the 2024 season via the fifth-year option.
Additionally, the 49ers bolstered their front seven by signing Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos, whose 2024 cap numbers are $3.4 million and $3.2 million, respectively. Despite Gross-Matos’ underwhelming performance with the Carolina Panthers, he attracted considerable interest as a free agent, with Niners GM John Lynch praising his potential fit within San Francisco’s defensive scheme.
