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The 2022 NFL Scouting Combine is over, and ahead of the draft, NFL teams will have the opportunity to improve their performance by adding players during the free agency period. However, some teams will have to lay off players in order to hit the salary cap. The salary cap is expected to rise to $208.2 million, according to Spotrac.com. Some NFL teams have already released players, such as linebacker Kyle Van Noy of the New England Patriots and tight end Kyle Rudolph of the New York Giants. These two players are caps.
The San Francisco 49ers currently have 43 players under contracts and have spent $206.8 million, according to Spotrac.com. They have $2.95 million to pay after the league’s new year begins on March 16. The obvious way for the 49ers to make room in the cap is to trade or release players.
Let’s look at quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s contract. In 2022, he will earn $26.95 million. His dead cap is $1.4 million. If the 49ers trade him, they will trade his contract and the amount will be adjusted to the team’s salary cap. That money will give the 49ers some wiggle room when signing free agents and draft picks.
The 49ers have two players who could be potential victims. The first player is Garoppolo. The 49ers have the option to let him go for only $1.4 million. By eliminating Garoppolo’s paycheck, San Francisco will save about $25.5 million in pay caps. If the 49ers are looking for money to expand players like wide receiver Deebo Samuel and pass rusher Nick Boza, getting Garoppolo’s massive paycheck will go a long way in creating more cap space.
The second player is defender Samson Ebukam. The Los Angeles Rams selected Ebukam in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. The 49ers signed him to a two-year, $12 million contract. Ebucam is worth $8.25 million in 2022. The amount of the dead cap is $1.75 million. His release would save the 49ers $6.5 million. It may not be a lot of money, but every little thing matters.
By releasing those two players — or, in the case of Garoppolo, potentially trading them — the 49ers could start the 2022 season with more than $30 million. San Francisco has signaled that it is ready to move out of Garoppolo. In the 2021 draft, the 49ers traded with the Miami Dolphins to secure future quarterback Trey Lance.
As for Ebucam, it would be a pain to lose a lot of depth. However, this move would be a business move, nothing personal. The 49ers could have replaced Ebucam by drafting a much cheaper option and paying off that day later.
Will the 49ers have cap losses? Who would you consider?
Written:
Wayne Breezy is a content creator for the 49ers. He made his first guest appearance on Ronbosports in 2012. He started writing for a Facebook group called the League of the 49ers. He then began writing for Nothing But Niners in 2017. In 2018, Wayne Breezy debuted on YouTube’s Nothing But Niners. In 2019, he launched his Nitty Gritty Niners podcast. After putting down her pen for a few years, Breezy saw an opportunity to write for 49erscap.com. His first published article was published in January 2022 on 49ersCap and he currently writes and produces weekly podcasts.
The opinions in this article are those of the author and, while important, do not necessarily reflect the views of the site as a whole.
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