A salary cap update of the recent defensive tackles the 49ers released
The San Francisco 49ers have officially released defensive tackles, Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins. We’ll explain the salary cap implications of each move. Every number referenced below is courtesy of Over the Cap.
Hargrave, now 32, was their prized free agent signing from the Philadelphia Eagles after Hargrave destroyed the Niners in the NFC Championship game a couple of years ago. But injuries, underperforming, and age caused the Niners to move on from Hargrave after two seasons.
Hargrave initially signed a four-year deal with San Francisco that gave him $40 million guaranteed at the time of singing, including a $23 million signing bonus. The writing was on the wall for Hargrave when the 49ers converted $7.67 million in salary to a bonus in 2024 to free up cap space.
There was only one reasonable way financially to move on from Hargrae, and that was using a post-June-1 release. Had the 49ers cut Hargrave in the same manner they did Leonard Floyd, they would have eaten $24.86 million in dead money in 2025 and $17.48 million in 2026. Then, $10.1 million in 2027 and $2.7 million in the final “ghost” year of Hargrave’s contract in 2028. San Francisco would not have saved a penny.
Using a post-June 1 designation, the 49ers can spread Hargrave’s $25ish million in dead money over the next four years. The first three years of dead money are $7.37 million, and the final year of 2028 is $2.73 million.
The added benefit is that the 49ers will save $2.2 million in cap space in this upcoming season, and the $10.1 million that would have counted as dead money in 2027 will turn into cap savings in 2026.
Collins, 30, is the 49ers’ second and final post-June 1 designation release. His contract was set to void after the 2025 season, with four additional ghost years to help the 49ers jump through some salary cap hoops. Let’s walk through the difference between a pre and post-June 1 release and how it benefits the Niners.
Had San Francisco released Hargrave in a similar fashion as they did Leonard Floyd, the dead money would have spread out to roughly $13 million over the next four seasons:
2025: $5.43M
2026: $4.07M
2027: $2.7M
2028: $1.35M
Under this transaction, there would have been no cap savings. In fact, the 49ers would have lost close to $3.5 million in cap savings on top of the dead money.
By using a post-June 1 designation, the 49ers can spread Collins’s $6.79 million signing bonus out over four years. So, the dead money is $1.35 million through 2028. The good news is the Niners come away with $3.4 million this year and $4.36 million in cap savings in each of the next two seasons.