The 49ers announced Wednesday the release of offensive tackle Garry Gilliam.
Gilliam, 28, spent the last two seasons with the 49ers after playing for three years in Seattle. The swing tackle saw just 84 snaps spread out across five games for San Francisco this season. That was actually an uptick from the 38 snaps he got during the 2017 campaign.
This move won’t move the needle much on San Francisco’s depth chart. Gilliam was a reserve offensive lineman who played very sparingly. Finding a replacement won’t be difficult. It does have a financial impact though.
By releasing Gilliam, the 49ers clear out about $5 million in salary cap space, adding to the $60 million they were already working with. Only six teams are further under the cap than San Francisco. All teams will be required to be under the 2019 salary cap, roughly $190 million, before the start of the new league year at 1:00 PM PT on March 13. That won’t be an issue for thee 49ers.
Teams can begin negotiating with free agents on March 11, and if the 49ers are going to be aggressive in the free agent market this offseason, they’ll need all the additional cap space they can get.
