It was coming. Everyone knew it. But the defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers officially announced at the start of the new league year that they have released defensive lineman Arik Armstead.
The release comes with a post-June 1 designation, meaning that San Francisco has saved $18 million against the 2024 NFL salary cap. The two sides were unable to come to terms on a restructured contract, leading to this eventuality.
Prior to his release, Armstead was the 49ers’ longest-tenured player. A first-round pick out of Oregon back in 2015, he played nine seasons with the team.
Armstead’s best performance came back in 2019 when he registered 18 QB hits and 10 sacks for the 49ers. This past season saw him tally 13 QB hits and five sacks in 12 games (all starts).
Related: San Francisco 49ers add depth on defense in trade with the Houston Texans
The 49ers have acquired two defensive tackles as replacements for Armstead. That included signing Jordan Elliott away from the Cleveland Browns and acquiring Maliek Collins in a trade with the Houston Texans.
As for Armstead, he’s already drawing interest from the aforementioned Texans. It makes sense with Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans having served as his defensive coordinator in San Francisco back in 2021 and 2022.