The San Francisco 49ers signed star left tackle Trent Williams to a restructured contract on Tuesday, giving the future Hall of Famer more guaranteed cash.
San Francisco also restructured the contract of All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel, saving $16.4 million against the cap in the process.
With less than a week to go ahead of the 49ers’ season opener against the New York Jets, they now boast a league-high $49.52 million in cap space. These figures come to us via Over the Cap.
This also comes after general manager John Lynch and Co. worked on a lucrative long-term extension with Brandon Aiyuk. The All-Pro receiver earned a four-year, $120 million contract. It’s a figure that significantly lowered his cap hit for the 2024 season.
Needless to say, San Francisco has been extremely active as the defending NFC champs embark on the 2024 campaign.
Could we potentially see something else happen in this regard at some point soon? That’s a whole bunch of cap room to enter the season with.
Certainly, the 49ers must think long-term as it relates to quarterback Brock Purdy. He will be eligible for an extension for the first time in his career next offseason. Said deal will be a market setter, likely paying the former seveneth-round pick north of $60 million annually.
Even then, the 49ers now have the capability of adding more talent to a loaded roster. Whether it’s here soon or ahead of the NFL trade deadline in November, expect something to happen. San Francisco’s title contention window is open. Making win-now moves has to be the name of the game here.
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Three moves the San Francisco 49ers can make with new-found cap room
- Acquire Haason Reddick: This Pro Bowl pass rusher finds himself at odds with his New York Jets mere months after they acquired him. He wants a new contract. He has requested a trade. Sure, it looks like the Jets are not going to blink. But Reddick would make a whole bunch of sense opposite Nick Bosa in San Francisco. Finding another edge rusher to go with Bosa has been an issue for the 49ers. They can now afford to both acquire Reddick and offer him the long-term extension he seeks.
- Sign David Bakhtiari: Even with Trent Williams in the fold, offensive tackle remains an issue for San Francisco. Right now, Colton McKivitz is slated to start at right tackle. He yielded 52 QB pressures and nine sacks last season. That’s just not going to cut it. Bakhtiari, 32, has played in just 13 games over the past three seasons. However, he’s earned four trips to the Pro Bowl and has indicated he’d like to return for the 2024 campaign.
- Wait until the NFL trade deadline: This is the likeliest scenario for San Francisco. The team has been active ahead of the deadline in recent years, including acquiring star running back Christian McCaffrey back in 2022. Injuries take place. Teams fall out of contention and put veteran players on the market. It makes more sense for the 49ers to wait this out and see what happens.