An updated look at the 49ers 2022 salary cap situation with less than a week until the new league year

With less than a week until the NFL’s opening of the new league year, it’s time to take another look at the 49ers 2022 salary cap situation.

In the past 2 days the 49ers signed right guard Keaton Sutherland to a reserve/future deal, and extended center Jake Brendel on a 1-year deal, most likely for $1.035 million, while only counting $895,000 against the cap.

I’ve also been told by a source that the 49ers have tendered 4 of their 5 exclusive rights free agents, running back JaMycal Hasty, wide receiver Jauan Jennings, defensive tackle Kevin Givens, & strongside linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, with Jennings’ tender being worth $825,000, while Hasty, Givens, & Flannigan-Fowles’ tenders are worth $895,000 each.

Now, there is no word on if/when the 49ers will tender left guard Colton McKivitz, but I think it’s just a matter of time, as he played very well in the season finale, I truly believe he has a bright future.

So, as of now, the 49ers have 49 players signed, or tendered for 2022, with them below, with their current 2022 salary cap numbers.

1. QB Jimmy Garoppolo(2022) – $26,950,000
2. QB Trey Lance(2024) – $7,751,195
3. RB Elijah Mitchell(2024) – $870,893
4. RB Trey Sermon(2024) – $1,107,485
5. RB JaMycal Hasty(2022) – $895,000
6. FB Kyle Juszcyzk(2025) – $2,985,750
7. FB Josh Hokit(2022) – $705,000
8. WR Deebo Samuel(2022) – $4,890,519
9. WR Brandon Aiyuk(2023) – $3,417,641
10. WR Jauan Jennings(2022) – $825,000
11. WR KeeSean Johnson(2022) – $895,000
12. WR Austin Mack(2022) – $825,000
13. WR Connor Wedington(2022) – $705,000
14. TE George Kittle(2025) – $16,011,765
15. TE Charlie Woerner(2023) – $940,258
16. TE Tanner Hudson(2022) – $895,000
17. TE Jordan Matthews(2022) – $895,000
18. C Alex Mack(2023) – $6,725,000
19. C Jake Brendel(2022) – $895,000
20. RG Aaron Banks(2024) – $1,607,638
21. RG Keaton Sutherland(2022) – $895,000
22. LT Trent Williams(2026) – $14,031,765
23. LT Jaylon Moore(2024) – $905,759
24. RT Mike McGlinchey(2022) – $10,880,000
25. RT Justin Skule(2022) – $1,009,887
26. RT Alfredo Gutierrez(2022) – $705,000
27. DE Nick Bosa(2022) – $10,805,564
28. DE Samson Ebukam(2022) – $8,250,000
29. DE Charles Omenihu(2022) – $2,540,000
30. DE Dee Ford(2022) – $11,909,997
31. DE Alex Barrett(2022) – $825,000
32. DT Arik Armstead(2024) – $20,000,000
33. DT Javon Kinlaw(2023) – 4,224,191
34. DT Kevin Givens(2022) – $895,000
35. NT Chris Slayton(2022) – $705,000
36. WLB Dre Greenlaw(2022) – $2,620,429
37. WLB Curtis Robinson(2022) – $825,000
38. MLB Fred Warner(2026) – $8,134,588
39. SLB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles(2022) – $895,000
40. CB Emmanuel Moseley(2022) – $6,555,529
41. CB Ambry Thomas(2024) – 1,087,693
42. CB Deommodore Lenoir(2024) – $896,217
43. CB Ka’dar Hollman(2022) – $895,000
44. FS Jimmie Ward(2022) – $12,935,588
45. FS Tarvarius Moore(2022) – $965,000
46. SS Talanoa Hufanga(2024) – $885,038
47. PK Robbie Gould(2022) – $5,506,313
48. P Mitch Wishnowsky(2022) – $1,156,018
49. LS Taybor Pepper(2022) – $1,120,000

These 49 players currently count $213,828,720 against the cap, along with $5,167,726 in dead money, for a total cap commitment of $218,996,446, which leaves the 49ers $5,622,285 over the 49ers 2022 adjusted cap, which is $213,374,161, but that’s with just the 49 players signed, so when we add in 2 more players making $705,000 to get to the top 51 rule, the 49ers would be $7,032,285 over the 2022 cap.

Now, if/when the 49ers tender McKivitz’s, which will be worth $895,000, they’ll end up being $6,517,285 over the 2022 cap, but that’s without the 51st player making at least $705,000, s they’ll be $7,222,285 over the 2022 cap, after the top 51 rule is factored in..

The 49ers have 3 restricted free agents that they must decide what to do with, either tender them, re-sign them, or don’t tender them, those being right guard Daniel Brunskill, defensive tackle Kentavius Street, & strongside linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

Below are the 2022 RFA tenders.

1st-round tender: $5.562 million
2nd-round tender: $3.986 million
Original Round Tender: $2.54 million
Right of first Refusal Tender: $2.433 million

Note that the right of first refusal tender is just for players who went undrafted, so that applies to Brunskill, & Al-Shaair, while the original round tender would apply to Street, as he was drafted in the 4th-round in 2018.

Now, I can’t see the 49ers tendering Brunskill, & Street, as those numbers are just too high, so I’d expect them to try and re-sign them to 1-year deals, worth less than what their tenders would be, just like Jeff Wilson Jr., Ross Dwelley, & Marcell Harris did last offseason.

As for Al-Shaair, if no deal is reached, maybe something like what Emmanuel Moseley got, a multi-year deal, I’d expect Al-Shaair to get the 2nd-round tender, as the 49ers likely don’t want to lose him for nothing, or at all, especially after he had a breakout 2021 season, where he was second in tackles, just behind Fred Warner.

Now, if the 49ers end up tendering Al-Shaair, they’d have 51 payers now, putting them $10,503,285 over the 2022 salary cap.

If the 49ers can get Al-Shaair to re-sign to a multi-year deal, with a low 2022 cap number, say $1,298,333, that would put the 49ers $7,815,618 over the 2022 cap.

So, the 49ers will need to do some cap maneuvering to get under the salary cap, with their options being to restructure tight end George Kittle($8.332 million max saved, $7,811,250 minimum savings), left tackle Trent Williams($4.904 million max/minimum saved), & defensive tackle Arik Armstead($10.424 million max saved, $9,772,500 minimum saved), they could also extend free safety Jimmie Ward($6.332 million max saved, $5.835 million minimum saved), along with going to defensive end Samson Ebukam about a pay cut, which would save as much as $4.865 million, and lastly is right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who they could do a pseudo-extension, where they add 4 void years, like the Saints did with Terron Armstead in 2021, which would save the 49ers $7.876 million, while also leaving $7.876 million in dead money for the 2023 season.

On Jimmie Ward, the reason why the 49ers shouldn’t restructure his contract is because he had his deal restructured last season, with them having a $6.395 million dead money hit for 2023, due to the fact that when he signed his original deal, 2023 was a void year, and with the restructure last season, they added 2 extra void years to get the maximum savings, so they’d add an additional $6.224 million in dead money if they added 1 more void years to get the maximum savings, or $5.835 million with minimum savings, to Ward’s current $6.395 million dead money hit in 2023.

Now, as I said above, I don’t see the team tendering Brunskill, or Street, due to the fact that their tenders would be way too high, but as I said, I can see them signing 1-year deals, worth less than their tenders, say in the $1.265 million range, which would put the 49ers $8,935,618 over the 2022 adjusted cap, this is if the 49ers are able to re-sign Al-Shaair to a multi-year deal, if not, they’d be $11,623,285 over the 2022 adjusted cap, this is with the 49ers tendering Al-Shaair at the 2nd-round level.

So, the 49ers will have to do some cap maneuvering to get under the salary cap, as the team needs to be cap compliant by the time the new league year opens, which is March 16, at 4pm eastern time, with Jimmy Garoppolo still on the team, as no signings or trades can be made official until the new league year opens.

If the 49ers can get Al-Shaair to sign a multi-year deal, the 49ers would need to just restructure 1 contract, most likely Arik Armstead’s, which saves $10.424 million, which would put the 49ers $1,488,382 under the cap, now that’s with the max savings, with the minimum savings, the 49ers would be $836,882 under the cap.

Now, if the 49ers can’t get Al-Shaair to sign a new deal, meaning they tender him, they’ll need to restructure either 2 players, or 1 player, along with a Ebukam pay cut, with again the likely player to be restructured is Arik Armstead, along with Trent Williams, which would save the team $15.328 million, which is the max savings, as for minimum savings, it’d be $14,676,500, which would put the 49ers either $3,704,715 under the 2022 cap, with max savings or $3,053,115 under the 2022 cap with minimum savings.

So, after trading quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, which would save the team $24.845 million, after factoring in the top 51 rule, which would put the team either $28,549,715 under the 2022 cap with max savings on the above restructures, or $27,898,115 with minimum savings on the above restructures.

Now, if the 49ers were to restructure Armstead, & get Ebukam to take a pay cut, the cap room goes to $28,510,715 with the max savings, or $27,859,115 with the minimum savings.

Now, the cap ramifications going forward for restructuring Armstead, & Williams would be the following.

Arik Armstead: Adds an additional $2.606 million to his 2023-2024 salary cap numbers, with max savings, $3,257,500 to his 2023-2024 salary cap numbers, with minimum savings, also his 2025 dead money would go from $1.5 million to $6.712 million with max savings, or $6.515 million with minimum savings.

Trent Williams: Adds an additional $1.226 million to his 2023-2026 salary cap numbers, both with max savings, & minimum savings.

As for the other players that they could restructure, or extend, the cap ramifications are below.

George Kittle: Adds an additional $2.083 million to his 2023-2025 salary cap numbers, with max savings, or $2,603,750 to his 2023-2025 salary cap numbers, with minimum savings, now with the max savings, they’d need to add a void year, which would be $2.083 million in 2026.

Jimmie Ward: An extension would save the team, as I said, $6.224 million with max savings, or $5.835 million with minimum savings, while his 2023 salary cap number could end up being in the $6.7 million to $7 million range, so between $350,000 to $650,000 in 2023 salary cap room used up, plus his $6.395 million dead money hit would no longer be there in 2023.

Now, if by some chance the 49ers tender Brunskill, & Street at the lowest tenders, original round tender for Brunskill, worth $2.433 million, & original round tender for Street, worth $2.54 million, that would put the 49ers $11,378,618 over the 2022 cap, that’s with Al-Shaair signing the deal I mentioned earlier, or $14,066,285 over the 2022 cap, with the 49ers tendering Al-Shaair with the 2nd-round tender, worth $3.986 million.

So, the 49ers would have to do cap maneuvering, with again Armstead, & Williams being the most logical choices, saving either $15.328 million with max savings, or $14,676,500 with minimum savings, which would put the 49ers, with Al-Shaair re-signed to the deal mentioned before, either $3,949,382 under the 2022 cap, with max savings, or $3,297,882 with minimum savings.

As for what they’d have with Al-Shaair also tendered, they’d have $1,261,715 with max savings, or $610,215 under the 2022 cap with minimum savings.

As for what they’d have after trading Garoppolo, it’s below.

With Al-Shaair re-signed, with max savings: $28,794,382

With Al-Shaair re-signed, with minimum savings: $28,142,882

With Al-Shaair tendered, with max savings: $26,106,716

With Al-Shaair tendered, with minimum savings: $25,455,215

So, as you can see the 49ers should have a good amount of salary cap room to begin the 2023 league year, which should be enough to bring back a good amount of players, depending on their price tag, like running back Raheem Mostert, left guard Laken Tomlinson, defensive ends Arden Key, & Jordan Willis, nose tackle D.J. Jones, cornerback K’Waun Williams, & strong safety Jaquiski Tartt.

They should also be able to add a few outside free agents, but if they can bring back Tomlinson, & Jones, then those free agents wouldn’t be a big splash, more in the mid-tier salary range.

Now, I can’t talk about 2022 without mentioning pending extensions for wide receiver Deebo Samuel, & defensive end Nick Bosa, as general manager John Lynch has already said they’ve budgeted out for both, and yesterday Deebo tweeted that he’s not going anywhere, this was after it was revealed that he was looking for property in Florida.

When it comes to potential terms, I’d expect Deebo Samuel to get in the $22 million to $24 million a year, and Nick Bosa in the $32 million to $34 million a year.

Now, as I’ve said for the past month or so, these deals should be easy, when it comes to 2022, as I’d expect the 49ers to lower Deebo’s $3.936 million base salary to the minimum of $965,000, take the difference, add in about $29,000, to create a $15 million signing bonus, prorated at $3 million from 2022-2026 on a 5-year extension, with his 2022 cap number going up by just $29,000.

As for Bosa, I’d expect them to take his $4,305,225 training camp roster bonus, add in $1,694,775 in 2022 salary cap room turn it into a $30 million signing bonus, prorated at $6 million a year from 2022-2027, with his cap number going up by just the $1,694,775.

So, with both extensions, I’d expect the 49ers to use just $1,723,775 in 2022 salary cap room to extend both Deebo Samuel, & Nick Bosa.

The 49ers should be just fine moving forward, with the salary cap expected to go up between $225 million to $238 million in 2023, while the real explosion should be in 2024, as the NFL’s new TV deals begin in 2023, with the cap potentially being between $256 million to $260 million, with potentially $15 million to $20 million increases each year going forward.

So, for those worried, as I’ve said before, the 49ers will be able to extend wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, while also having wide receiver Deebo Samuel, tight end George Kittle, left tackle Trent Williams, defensive end Nick Bosa, defensive tackle Arik Armstead, middle linebacker Fred Warner, & free safety Jimmie Ward on good to high paying long term deals.

While also either having left guard Laken Tomlinson, and/or nose tackle D.J. Jones on good to high paying long term deals, or if they lose either or both of them, they can afford to make a splash in free agency, get a top tier cornerback, and maybe a younger guard, both on good to high paying long term deals.

For those interested in my current mock offseason plan for 2022, click here.

And, with all of this said, I thank everyone for reading this article, as always you can follow me on Twitter @49erscap, or leave a comment below, and I’ll get back to you.

About Author

Jason Hurley

Die Hard 49ers fan from New York, been covering the 49ers salary cap since 2005, with several different websites, including NinersNation.com, & the now defunct NinerCapHell, I have a track record of being as accurate as possible, & I try to be as thorough as possible.

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