The San Francisco 49ers have decided that they will release DE Arik Armstead after he declined to take a pay cut, according to B/R’s Jordan Schultz.
Armstead has been with the 49ers since 2015 when they drafted him out of Oregon with the 17th overall pick in the draft. He was set to enter the final year of his five-year, $ 85-million contract that he signed in 2019. Over the past several years, he has been valuable to the 49ers’ defensive success. This last season, he had 27 tackles and five sacks last season and notched six tackles and a sack in the Super Bowl.
The two sides were close to a deal adds Adam Schefter. After thinking things through though, the veteran defensive end decided he wants to test his market. Makes sense. By cutting Arik Armstead now, the 49ers will save $2.5 million but if they designate him as a post-June 1 designation, they could save $18 million. He would be scheduled to carry a $25.35 million cap hit for the 49ers and has $25.86 million in dead money according to Over the Cap.
The 49ers are coming off of a 12-5 season that ended with a loss in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs. They boasted one of the best defensive lines all season and Armstead was a big contributor. After nearly a decade of him being in Red and Gold, the 49ers front office will have to replace the talent that Armstead brings to the table.
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Some teams that could be interested the 30-year-old include the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. All of whom need some help on the edge and/or Defensive Line. I’d keep an eye out for the Washington Commanders and Houston Texans as well. The Commanders chose to rebuild their defensive line last season and could look to bolster it with someone like Armstead. The Texans would make sense due to the fact that Armstead had some of his best seasons under DeMeco Ryans when he was with the 49ers.
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