With the 2022 NFL season now officially over, we now turn our focus to the 2023 offseason, with a look at the 49ers 2023 salary cap situation.
The 49ers currently have 47 players signed for 2023, accounting for $210,746,817, along with $17,085,988 in dead money, giving the team a total of $227,832,805 in committed salaries, which puts the 49ers $8,432,992 under a projected adjusted cap of $236,265,797, but that’s with 47 players signed, and they’d be $5,432,992 under that projected adjusted cap with 51 players signed.
Below are the 47 players, with their 2023 salary cap numbers.
- QB 5 Trey Lance(2024)- $9,301,434
- QB 13 Brock Purdy(2025)- $889,253
- RB 23 Christian McCaffrey(2025)- $12,000,000
- RB 25 Elijah Mitchell(2024)- $985,893
- RB 32 Tyrion Davis-Price(2025)- $1,161,033
- RB 24 Jordan Mason(2024)- $873,333
- FB 44 Kyle Juszczyk(2025)- $6,565,221
- WR 19 Deebo Samuel(2025)- $8,653,529
- WR 11 Brandon Aiyuk(2023)- $3,987,248
- WR/KR/PR 3 Ray-Ray McCloud III(2023)- $2,090,000
- WR 6 Danny Gray(2025)- $1,146,569
- WR 86 Tay Martin(2023)- $750,000
- WR 84 Dazz Newsome(2023)- $870,000
- WR – Tyron Johnson(2023)- $1,010,000
- TE 85 George Kittle(2025)- $18,033,751
- TE 89 Charlie Woerner(2023)- $1,055,258
- C 67 Keith Ismael(2023)- $940,000
- LG 65 Aaron Banks(2024)- $1,929,166
- LG 63 Nick Zakelj(2025)- $917,590
- RG 74 Spencer Burford(2025)- $1,038,014
- RG 62 Jason Poe(2023)- $750,000
- LT 71 Trent Williams(2026)- $27,227,424
- LT 78 Leroy Watson(2023)- $750,000
- RT 76 Jaylon Moore(2024)- $1,020,759
- RT 77 Alfredo Gutierrez(2023)- $750,000
- DE 97 Nick Bosa(2023)- $17,859,000
- DE 95 Drake Jackson(2025)- $1,339,180
- DE 58 Alex Barrett(2023)- $870,000
- DT 91 Arik Armstead(2024)- $23,993,059
- DT/NT 99 Javon Kinlaw(2023)- $4,928,223
- NT 93 Kalia Davis(2025)- $783,003
- SLB 40 Marcelino McCrary-Ball(2023)- $750,000
- WLB 57 Dre Greenlaw(2024)- $5,648,558
- WLB 59 Curtis Robinson(2023)- $940,000
- MLB 54 Fred Warner(2026)- $18,525,000
- MLB 48 Oren Burks(2023)- $2,773,000
- CB 7 Charvarius Ward(2024)- $16,405,000
- CB 20 Ambry Thomas(2024)- $1,305,232
- CB 38 Deommodore Lenoir(2024)- $1,011,217
- CB 26 Samuel Womack III(2025)- $940,831
- CB 43 Qwuantrezz Knight(2023)- $750,000
- CB – A.J. Parker(2023)- $940,000
- CB – Tre Swilling(2023)- $750,000
- FS 41 Tayler Hawkins(2023)- $750,000
- SS 29 Talanoa Hufanga(2024)- $1,000,038
- SS 30 George Odum(2024)- $2,090,000
- P 18 Mitch Wishnowsky(2026)- $1,700,000
Below are the 49ers pending free agents.
UFA:
QB Jimmy Garoppolo
QB Josh Johnson
TE Ross Dwelley
TE Tyler Kroft
TE Jordan Matthews
C Jake Brendel
RG Daniel Brunskill
RT Mike McGlinchey
DE Jordan Willis
DE Samson Ebukam
DE Kerry Hyder Jr.
DE Charles Omenihu
DT T.Y. McGill Jr.
DT Maurice Hurst Jr.
NT Hassan Ridgeway
SLB Azeez Al-Shaair
CB Emmanuel Moseley
CB Jason Verrett
FS Jimmie Ward
FS Tashaun Gipson Sr.
FS Tarvarius Moore
PK Robbie Gould
LS Taybor Pepper
RFA:
LT Colton McKivitz
DT Kevin Givens
SLB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
ERFA:
WR Jauan Jennings
Practice Squad FA:
RB Tevin Coleman
WR Willie Snead IV
DE Kemoko Turay
DT Akeem Spence
CB Dontae Johnson
CB Janoris Jenkins
The 49ers will most certainly want to bring back all 3 of their RFAs, Colton McKivitz, Kevin Givens, & Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, along with ERFA Jauan Jennings.
In order to tender their RFAs, they would have to give McKivitz the original round tender, which is $2.743 million, while Givens, & Flannigan-Fowles would get the right of first refusal tender, which is $2.627 million, while Jennings will get the basic ERFA tender of $940,000 for 2023.
I think the team would be wise to look into keeping the following UFAs, tight end Tyler Kroft, center Jake Brendel, right guard Daniel Brunskill, right tackle Mike McGlinchey, defensive ends Samson Ebukam, Kerry Hyder Jr., Jordan Willis, & Charles Omenihu, defensive tackle T.Y. McGill Jr., nose tackle Hassan Ridgeway, strongside linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, free safety Tashaun Gipson Sr., place kicker Robbie Gould, & long snapper Taybor Pepper.
The team could choose to use the franchise tag, with Gould being the obvious candidate, as it would cost just $5.393 million to tag Gould, who appears to be open to returning to the 49ers in 2023.
Now, below are the top candidates for restructures.
RB Christian McCaffrey – $8.576 million max, $7,146,666 minimum
TE George Kittle – $8.456 million max, $7,927,500 minimum
LT Trent Williams – $14.588 million max, $13,676,250 minimum
DT Arik Armstead – $11.78 million max, $11,043,750 minimum
MLB Fred Warner – $9.476 million max, $8,883,750 minimum
I would restructure Christian McCaffrey, & Fred Warner’s deals, saving a total of $18.052 million, giving the 49ers plenty of cap room to retain or sign outside free agents.
We can’t talk the 2023 offseason without talking about Nick Bosa, and his pending extension, which I believe will come in around $35 million a year, with $110 million in guaranteed money, $82 million of it being fully guaranteed.
The 49ers will also have two other decisions to make regarding 5th-year options, Brandon Aiyuk, and Javon Kinlaw, with Aiyuk’s number being $14.124 million, while Kinlaw’s would be $10.455 million.
I truly believe that the 49ers will pick up Aiyuk’s option, with him getting a long term extension in 2024, while I don’t see the 49ers picking up Kinlaw’s option for 2024.
Below are my top offseason needs.
Center– The 49ers starting center, Jake Brendel, is a pending UFA, who I believe will get around $5 million to $6 million per year on a multi-year deal, if the 49ers decide to not bring Brendel back, they will have to go into the draft to find a replacement, or hope that someone like Nick Zakelj, Jason Poe can step into that spot, I also can see them drafting a center even if they re-sign Brendel.
Right Tackle– If the 49ers don’t bring back Mike McGlinchey, who will likely command somewhere in the $15 million or more a year range, the 49ers will have to look to cheap options, the draft, or someone like Colton McKivitz as McGlinchey’s replacement, and I can see the team re-signing Daniel Brunskill as a swing Offensive Lineman, who can play nearly every position along the line, somewhere in the $4 million to $5 million a year range.
EDGE Rusher– The 49ers only have 2 EDGE rushers signed for 2023 that are locks for the 53-man roster, Nick Bosa, & Drake Jackson, so the 49ers need to both draft, and sign some EDGE rushers, with Charles Omenihu, & Samson Ebukam set to be UFAs, both who should command $6 million or more a year, I believe the 49ers will try to bring back at least one of those 2, along with Jordan Willis, and Kerry Hyder Jr., who is able to play both DE, and DT.
Interior Defensive Line– The 49ers need to find both depth, and a legit starter alongside Arik Armstead, as Javon Kinlaw just can’t be trusted to stay healthy, or produce, while I believe the team should look to bring back UFAs T.Y. McGill Jr., and Hassan Ridgeway, along with RFA Kevin Givens, plus the team has 2022 6th-round pick Kalia Davis ready to be apart of the teams rotation, and if the the team looks into free agency, I believe someone like DaRon Payne or Matt Ionniadis would be good signings.
Cornerback– The team has Mooney Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, & Samuel Womack III as locks for the 2023 roster, so they need to either sign someone in free agency, or bring back Emmanuel Moseley, who should sign a 1-year prove it deal, somewhere in the $5 million range, with an additional $5 million in potential incentives.
Free Safety– The 49ers need to find a young safety to replace Jimmie Ward, who likely won’t be back, as it’s clear he doesn’t want to play slot, and is looking for top safety money, so someone like Jessie Bates III would be a great signing, and/or adding someone in the draft on day 2 would be wise, while I can also see the 49ers bringing back Tashaun Gipson Sr., as long as he doesn’t retire, likely a 1-year deal, either worth the minimum, with a $152,500 signing bonus, or a 1-year deal in the $2 million to $3 million range.
Place Kicker & Long Snapper– If the 49ers don’t bring back Robbie Gould, and/or Taybor Pepper, I’d expect the 49ers to look to bring in another veteran at place kicker, while the team could also look for a veteran long snapper, but I expect both to be back in 2023.
Below are the 49ers projected draft picks, according to OverTheCap.com.
3rd-Round – #99th (Compensatory Pick for losing Robert Saleh/Martin Mayhew)
3rd-Round – #101st (Compensatory Pick for losing Mike McDaniel)
3rd-Round – #102nd (Compensatory Pick for losing Ran Carthon)
5th-Round – #156th (from Miami Dolphins)
5th-Round – #164th (Own Pick)
5th-Round – #173rd (Compensatory Pick for losing D.J. Jones)
6th-Round – #216th (Compensatory Pick for losing Arden Key)
7th-Round – #224th (from Denver Broncos)
7th-Round – #248th (Own Pick)
7th-Round – #255th (Compensatory Pick for losing K’Waun Williams)
Below is the projected cap number for the above picks in table format,
Pick | 2023 Cap | 2023 Base | 2023 SB | 2024 Cap | 2024 Base | 2024 SB | 2025 Cap | 2025 Base | 2025 SB | 2026 Cap | 2026 Base | 2026 SB |
Round 3(#99th) | $980,991 | $750,000 | $230,991 | $1,226,239 | $995,248 | $230,991 | $1,471,487 | $1,240,496 | $230,991 | $1,716,735 | $1,485,744 | $230,991 |
Round 3(#101st) | $980,991 | $750,000 | $230,991 | $1,226,239 | $995,248 | $230,991 | $1,471,487 | $1,240,496 | $230,991 | $1,716,735 | $1,485,744 | $230,991 |
Round 3(#102nd) | $980,991 | $750,000 | $230,991 | $1,226,239 | $995,248 | $230,991 | $1,471,487 | $1,240,496 | $230,991 | $1,716,735 | $1,485,744 | $230,991 |
Round 5(#157th) | $834,452 | $750,000 | $84,452 | $999,452 | $915,000 | $84,452 | $1,114,452 | $1,030,000 | $84,452 | $1,229,452 | $1,145,000 | $84,452 |
Round 5(#166th) | $825,230 | $750,000 | $75,230 | $990,230 | $915,000 | $75,230 | $1,105,230 | $1,030,000 | $75,230 | $1,220,230 | $1,145,000 | $75,230 |
Round 5(#173rd) | $815,992 | $750,000 | $65,992 | $980,992 | $915,000 | $65,992 | $1,095,992 | $1,030,000 | $65,992 | $1,210,992 | $1,145,000 | $65,992 |
Round 6(#216th) | $785,917 | $750,000 | $35,917 | $950,917 | $915,000 | $35,917 | $1,065,917 | $1,030,000 | $35,917 | $1,180,917 | $1,145,000 | $35,917 |
Round 7(#224th) | $779,738 | $750,000 | $29,738 | $944,738 | $915,000 | $29,738 | $1,059,738 | $1,030,000 | $29,738 | $1,174,738 | $1,145,000 | $29,738 |
Round 7(#249th) | $771,522 | $750,000 | $21,522 | $936,522 | $915,000 | $21,522 | $1,051,522 | $1,030,000 | $21,522 | $1,166,522 | $1,145,000 | $21,522 |
Round 7(#255th) | $770,952 | $750,000 | $20,952 | $935,952 | $915,000 | $20,952 | $1,050,952 | $1,030,000 | $20,952 | $1,165,952 | $1,145,000 | $20,952 |
TOTAL | $8,526,776 | $7,500,000 | $1,026,776 | $10,417,520 | $9,390,744 | $1,026,776 | $11,958,264 | $10,931,488 | $1,026,776 | $13,499,008 | $12,472,232 | $1,026,776 |
And with that, I thank you for reading, and you can follow me on Twitter @49erscap for more salary cap information, & tidbits.