The 49ers are expecting to lose long-time left tackle Joe Staley to retirement this offseason. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report the impending move.
Staley is still under contract through the 2021 season after signing a two-year extension before last year. Health concerns following a season where he played a career-low seven games were cited as the reason for the 35-year-old walking away with two years left on his deal.
The 49ers were set to pay Staley $10.5 million guaranteed in 2020. He’d carry an $11.5 million cap hit and $11.05 million in dead money had San Francisco opted to release him. His retirement changes the financials some.
Since the 49ers aren’t cutting or trading Staley and he’s retiring instead, they’ll only be on the hook for his bonuses. He had $500,000 in bonuses due in each of the next two seasons. If he officially retires before June 1, those bonuses will accelerate into the 2020 season and count as a $1 million cap hit for San Francisco in 2020.
If Staley retires after June 1, his bonuses would count for $500,000 against the cap in each of the next two years.
Either way it’s not a huge cap burden for the 49ers, and they’ll save $10.5 million against the cap this year. In an offseason where they had to get their salary cap under control, the savings from Staley’s retirement should be helpful in both the short and long-term.
