In preparation for the 2024 NFL season, the 49ers have made moves to clear some salary cap space. However, 49ers general manager John Lynch is not going to make any major moves to significantly reduce their salary cap space. Under the salary cap, the team has $11.7 million.
When the 49ers had over $41 million in cap space last season, Lynch told NBC Sports Bay Area that there aren't many downsides to building up a large cap cushion. In the end, any funds that aren't used during a season are carried over to the following year.
For Lynch, "really, we always look at the cap for three years out" was a statement made early in last season. This year, we obviously have all that space. We roll everything over, so in reality, it's to make room for next years. As a result, we'll have more space in the years to come.
With quarterback Brock Purdy expected to surpass Joe Montana as the 49ers' highest-paid player in the next season, the team will undoubtedly require every cent of budget room available.
Additionally, Brandon Aiyuk, a wide receiver and second-team All-Pro, is someone the 49ers would like to extend their contract with for multiple years. The 49ers exercised Aiyuk's fifth-year option, giving him $14.124 million to work with in the following season.
Additionally, Aiyuk's cap number for this season could be significantly reduced if the parties can reach an agreement on a contract extension with a high amount of guaranteed money.
A number of moves have been made by the 49ers in the past few days to clear a substantial amount of cap space for this season. There is now $18 million available in the salary cap thanks to defensive tackle Arik Armstead's release, who had a designation to play after June 1.
In order to generate a combined cap savings of over $26 million, San Francisco converted the wages of Fred Warner, George Kittle, and Javon Hargrave into bonuses. In addition, the 49ers were able to save almost $1 million in salary budget space by negotiating a lower contract with eight-time Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
follow for more updates