The 49ers have some work to do with the salary cap. Their effective cap number puts them at about $11.5 million over the $208.2 million maximum about $11.5 million over the $208.2 million maximum per Over the Cap. Effective cap space is the available space a team will have once they have at least 51 players on their roster for the 2022 campaign.
While preparing to enter an offseason well above the salary cap isn’t ideal, the 49ers have plenty of options for clearing space.
The most notable option for them is to either trade or release quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who carries a $26.95 million cap hit next season. Trading him would free up $25.55 million with San Francisco carrying the additional $1.4 million in dead cap.
Releasing defensive end Dee Ford could also provide some cap relief depending on the timing of the move. They could save $2.4 million in space if they designate him as a post-June 1 cut. The problem with that is they won’t be able to use any of that room in free agency.
There are also some contract restructures available. Defensive lineman Arik Armstead stands out in that regard with a $20 million cap number this year that could be reduced with a restructure that pushes some of that money down the road.
While they do have a quarterback on a rookie deal, San Francisco should still want to clear some cap space for a player like free agent LG Laken Tomlinson. Theoretically they may want more room to fit a Nick Bosa or Deebo Samuel extension in, but those larger cap numbers would almost assuredly be toward the back end of the deal and not the first year. There are other holes they’ll need to fill in free agency as well, plus draft picks to sign.
Garoppolo and his trade market have dominated the offseason for the 49ers, but once that domino falls they’ll have a lot of work to do to get themselves in a more comfortable place financially.
