With around 3 weeks until the 49ers players report for training camp in Santa Clara, California, I think today would be a good time to give my latest roster projection.
OFFENSE:
QB(3): 10 Jimmy Garoppolo(2022)/ 5 Trey Lance(2024)/ 3 Josh Rosen(2021)
RB(4): 31 Raheem Mostert(2021)/ 28 Trey Sermon(2024)/ 22 Wayne Gallman Jr.(2021)/ 49 Elijah Mitchell(2024)
FB(1): 44 Kyle Juszyzck(2025)
WR(6): 11 Brandon Aiyuk(2023)/ 19 Deebo Samuel(2022)/ 81 Trent Sherfield(2021)/ 14 Jalen Hurd(2022)/ 18 Mohamed Sanu Sr.(2021)/ 15 Jauan Jennings(2021)
TE(4): 85 George Kittle(2025)/ 82 Ross Dwelley(2021)/ 89 Charlie Woerner(2023)/ 88 MyCole Pruitt(2021)
C(2): 50 Alex Mack(2023)/ 60 Daniel Brunskill(2021)
OG(3): 75 Laken Tomlinson(2021)/ 65 Aaron Banks(2024)/ 68 Colton McKivitz(2023)
OT(3): 71 Trent Williams(2026)/ 69 Mike McGlinchey(2022)/ 76 Jaylon Moore(2024)
DEFENSE:
DE(5): 97 Nick Bosa(2022)/ 91 Arik Armstead(2024)/ 56 Samson Ebukam(2022)/ 98 Arden Key(2021)/ 64 Alex Barrett(2021)
DT(3): 99 Javon Kinlaw(2023)/ 90 Kevin Givens(2021)/ 96 Maurice Hurst Jr.(2021)
NT(2): 93 D.J. Jones(2021)/ 92 Zach Kerr(2021)
LB(4): 54 Fred Warner(2021)/ 57 Dre Greenlaw(2022)/ 51 Azeez Al-Shaair(2021)/ 48 James Burgess Jr.(2021)
CB(5): 2 Jason Verrett(2021)/ 4 Emmanuel Moseley(2021)/ 24 K’Waun Williams(2021)/ 20 Ambry Thomas(2024)/ 38 Deommodore Lenoir(2024)
FS(2): 1 Jimmie Ward(2022)/ 23 Tony Jefferson(2021)
SS(3): 26 Jaquiski Tartt(2021)/ 29 Talanoa Hufanga(2024)/ 36 Marcell Harris(2021)
SPECIAL TEAMS:
PK(1): 9 Robbie Gould(2022)
P(1): 6 Mitch Wishnowsky(2022)
LS(1): 46 Taybor Pepper(2022)
INJURED LISTS:
PUP: RB 30 Jeff Wilson Jr.(2021)
IR: 67 RT Justin Skule(2022)
PUP or Short Term IR: DE 55 Dee Ford(2022)
PUP: FS 33 Tarvarius Moore(2021)
PRACTICE SQUAD:
QB 7 Nate Sudfeld*
RB 23 JaMycal Hasty
FB 40 Josh Hokit
WR 7 Austin Watkins Jr.
TE 83 Josh Pederson
C 64 Jake Brendel*
RG 61 Dakoda Shepley
LT 78 Shon Coleman*
LT 77 Alfredo Gutierrez**
DE 77 Daeshon Hall*
NT 65 Darrion Daniels
WLB 45 Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
MLB 59 Elijah Sullivan
SLB 58 Justin Hilliard
CB 27 Dontae Johnson*
FS 7 Jared Mayden
SS 32 Tavon Wilson*
*Denotes Player with 3 or more years accrued.
**Denotes International Pathway Program Player, doesn’t count against the cap or the teams practice squad limit.
With this roster, I have the 49ers at $4,860,473 under the 2021 salary cap, but that’s without a Fred Warner extension, so with that said, I’d restructure Arik Armstead’s contract, saving the team $4.528 million, so that would give the 49ers $9,388,473, but with a Warner extension, taking up $3 million in cap room, the team would open 2021 with $6,388,473 in salary cap room.
In doing this, I would keep Warner’s 2022 cap number around $5.5 million, with a $15 million signing bonus paid this year, plus a $3.075 million protected option bonus due on April 1, 2022, along with guaranteeing his 2021, & 2022 base salaries, part of their 2023 & 2024 base salaries, while also guaranteeing the rest of his 2023 & 2024 base salaries for injury, but fully guaranteed on April 1, 2022 for 2023, & April 1, 2023 for 2024.
In total, the projected 5-year extension, would be worth between $19 million to $20 million a year, with over $50 million in guaranteed money, over $40 million of it being fully guaranteed.
Also, with Arik Armstead’s restructure, it’ll add $1.132 million to his cap numbers from 2022-2024, which under this roster, the 49ers would have 31 players signed for 2022, with those 31 accounting for $192,366,308, plus $4,521,182 in dead money, for a total of $196,887,490, and if the 2022 cap does come in at the ceiling of $208.2 million, it’d give them $11,312,510 in cap room, but that number is deceiving, as that counts just 31 players, not another 19 players to get to the top 51 rule, which would put the team $2,082,490 over the cap.
Now, we also have to take into account that Deebo Samuel, Dre Greenlaw, & Mitch Wishnowsky’s base salaries will likely see an increase up to $2.396 million, with Greenlaw getting an additional $250,000, which would be a total of $3,513,360 difference between those 3 players current base salaries to their projected new cap numbers, which would put the team $5,595,850 over the 2022 salary cap.
Of course, Jimmy Garoppolo won’t be with the 49ers in 2022, which would save the team $24.895 million, which would give the team $19,299,150 in salary cap room to begin the 2022 offseason.
With Warner locked up, likely through 2026, it would leave the 49ers with very few big name free agents to re-sign, with the likely players they’d like to bring back being, running backs Raheem Mostert, & Jeff Wilson Jr., left guard Laken Tomlinson, defensive end Arden Key, defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr., nose tackles D.J. Jones, & Zach Kerr, cornerbacks Jason Verrett, & K’Waun Williams, free safety Tarvarius Moore, & strong safety Jaquiski Tartt.
They would also have a few RFAs & ERFAs, most notably wide receiver Jauan Jennings, center Daniel Brunskill, defensive end Alex Barrett, defensive tackle Kevin Givens, & strongside Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, in which I can see them signing Brunskill & Al-Shaair to 1-year deals, that are below the lowest RFA tender, while Barrett & Givens would only count $895,000, while Jennings would only count $825,000, as all 3 are ERFAs.
The 49ers could also look to bring back, depending on their play, the following, quarterback Josh Rosen, running back Wayne Gallman Jr., wide receivers Trent Sherfield, & Mohamed Sanu Sr., tight ends Ross Dwelley, & MyCole Pruitt, weakside linebacker James Burgess Jr., free safety Tony Jefferson, & strong safety Marcell Harris.
Most of these players could be brought back on 1-year, veteran minimum salary deals.
I expect the 49ers to re-sign Tarvarius Moore to a 1-year deal, where he gets paid more in cash, but counts less against the cap, just like K’Waun Williams signed, the Fourth Year Qualifying Contract benefit deal.
The 49ers, in my opinion, can keep their core players with that near $19.3 million, just as they did this offseason with very little cap room to work with, but, with Warner extended, there won’t be a player the caliber of Trent Williams or Kyle Juszyzck to be re-signed, which would allow the team to look into extending the likes of Deebo Samuel, & Dre Greenlaw, plus Nick Bosa, whose 5th-year option will have to be picked up by May 3, 2022.
Some other ways the 49ers can create cap room, if needed, are by restructuring the contracts of George Kittle, & Arik Armstead, which would save $8.322 million for Kittle, & $10.424 million for Armstead.
Originally, I would have had Jimmie Ward as a cap casualty, as the 49ers could save $6.795 million, but with the injury to Moore, the 49ers will likely hold onto Ward, and, I can’t believe I’d be saying this, but Ward will likely play out his 3-year, $28.5 million deal he signed in 2020.
So with all of this said, I thank everyone for reading article, as always you can follow me on Twitter @49erscap, or leave a comment below, and I’ll get back to you.
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