San Francisco 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan walks off the field after the team’s overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs25 to 22 in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV, on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024.
The Sensational Ace Did Not Appear Happy After 49ers Sack the Veteran Captain which saw two….
The San Francisco 49ers have been active early on in free agency, both in securing some important signings as well as freeing up cap space by parting ways with players. Among those to leave the team this offseason was veteran defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who was released Wednesday ahead of the final year of his contract. Armstead was due to make $17.4 million in base salary while carrying a cap hit of $28.3 million, prompting the team to cut him at the start of the new league year. That’s a decision that not everyone on the team seems to have been on board with. Star wide receiver Deebo Samuel reacted to the news of Armstead’s release on social media, indicating he wasn’t pleased to see his longtime teammate get let go.
Samuel posted a series of face-palming emojis on his Instagram story in response to a report of Armstead’s release.
Armstead, 30, had been with the 49ers since 2015 when he was selected as a first round pick out of Oregon. He was the longest-tenured player on the roster prior to his release. Based on Samuel’s reaction, it’s safe to say he earned the respect of his peers. Ahead of Armstead’s release, San Francisco signed veteran defensive end Leonard Floyd to a two-year, $24 million deal in free agency.
Now that we are officially in the new league year, the San Francisco 49ers announced the release of defensive tackle Arik Armstead. NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco tweeted that the team intends to designate Armstead’s release for post-June 1.
That will save the 49ers $18 million in cap space for 2024. However, the team will also eat $10.31 million in dead money. Armstead had three years remaining on his contract. The team will eat $15.4 million over the next three years, for a total of $26 million in cap savings.
The post-June 1 release allows the team to reap the benefits of the immediate cap space and be aggressive in free agency while their quarterback remains on a rookie contract.
So far during free agency, the 49ers have signed three players who all do provide what Armstead does in a different way. Jordan Elliott is the run-stopper. Yetur Gross-Matos is the interior, lengthy pass rusher. Maliek Collins is a is the pass rusher who can win 1-on-1.
Last season, the 49ers’ top three defensive tackles were Hargrave, Armstead and Javon Kinlaw. Armstead figures to attract plenty of attention as a free agent, while Kinlaw already has agreed to a reported one-year, $7.25 million contract with the New York Jets.
While the 49ers appear to be set up well with their top three defensive tackles, they appear to be in good shape at defensive end, too.
Nick Bosa, the league’s highest-paid defensive player, will be joined by a pair of edge players who have agreed to terms with the 49ers: Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos.
