So far, the 49ers have agreed to terms with 2 free agents, Green Bay Packers middle linebacker Oren Burks, & Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward, while they’ve lost left guard Laken Tomlinson to the New York Jets, & nose tackle D.J. Jones to the Denver Broncos, but there’s no news on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, except that they may keep him until June, well, let’s go over if it’s possible, cap wise.
As of now, the 49ers are $4,679,385 over their 2022 adjusted cap, this is before knowing Ward, & Burks 2022 cap numbers, and thanks to the 49ers restructuring defensive end Dee Ford’s contract, saving $4.96 million.
So, the 49ers still have to either tender or re-sign their RFAs, the most likely to get tendered seem to be right guard Daniel Brunskill at the Right of first Refusal tender, which will cost $2.433 million, and strongside linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair at the 2nd-round tender, which is $3.986 million, which would put the 49ers $9,598,385 over their 2022 adjusted cap.
So, yes, the 49ers need to be cap compliant before 4PM eastern/1PM pacific tomorrow, and this must include Garoppolo, and his $26.95 million salary being on the roster, so let’s so how the 49ers can operate with Garoppolo on the roster if need be.
They have a few options when it comes to restructuring other contracts, with the most likely players to have their deals redone being, tight end George Kittle($8.332 million max savings, $7,811,250 minimum savings), left tackle Trent Williams($4.904 million max/minimum savings), & defensive tackle Arik Armstead($10.424 million max savings, $9,772,500 minimum savings), which would free up $23.66 million in salary cap room, giving them $14,061,615, before including Ward, and Burks.
I have to imagine that Ward’s deal is backloaded, so I think we can assume Ward’s cap hit will come in somewhere between $5 million to $6 million, while Burks’ cap number around $1.5 million, which would give the 49ers $9,091,615 in salary cap room if Ward’s cap number is $5 million, or $8,091,615 if his cap number is $6 million.
The 49ers, as of the writing of this article, have the following unsigned unrestricted free agents .
RB Raheem Mostert
RB Trenton Cannon
WR Trent Sherfield
WR Richie James Jr.
WR Travis Benjamin
WR Mohamed Sanu Sr.
TE Ross Dwelley
RT Tom Compton
DE Arden Key
DE Jordan Willis
WLB Marcell Harris
CB Jason Verrett
CB K’Waun Williams
CB Dontae Johnson
CB Josh Norman
FS Tavon Wilson
SS Jaquiski Tartt
Of these players, I’d say the ones who could get signed soon would be, running back Raheem Mostert, defensive ends Arden Key, & Jordan Willis, cornerbacks Jason Verrett, & K’Waun Williams, and strong safety Jaquiski Tartt, while the rest seem to be more league minimum deals, or replaceable.
So, the 49ers can operate with Garoppolo on the roster, but, it’s in their best interest to trade Garoppolo for whatever they can get, which saves $24.725 million after factoring in the top 51 rule, which would give the 49ers $33,816,615 in salary cap room, enough to sign their draft picks, while extending wide receiver Deebo Samuel, & defensive end Nick Bosa.
The 49ers can also create more cap room by extending free safety Jimmie Ward($6.224 million max savings, $5.835 million minimum savings), plus they can go to right tackle Mike McGlinchey, or defensive end Samson Ebukam about redoing their deals.
They can also restructure middle linebacker Fred Warner’s contract, which saves $1,223,200, not a lot, but it’s something.
Of course, if Al-Shaair, and/or Brunskill sign deals before they need to be tendered, then the 49ers may not have to redo 3 players.
Now, it sucks that the 49ers have lost two key players, two starters, but the team has, in my opinion, their replacements on the roster, 2020 1st-rounder Javon Kinlaw, & 2021 2nd-rounder Aaron Banks.
The question is, will the 49ers keep Garoppolo until June, or for the rest of March, I just don’t know, I don’t think they release him, due to the $7.5 million injury guarantee, which means the savings go from $24.725 million to $17.225 million, the $7.5 million offsets if Garoppolo can make that much, but the team would get credited in 2023, so they take on not just the $1.4 million prorated bonus as dead money, but also $7.5 million.
With that said, I thank everyone for reading, you can leave a comment, or follow me on Twitter, @49erscap.
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