There are a trio of players who could be cap casualties on the 49ers that we’ll discuss today
The San Francisco 49ers will command the spotlight early and often this offseason. They got an early head start this weekend, which figures to continue with free agency this month, and Brock Purdy’s contract extension is looming.
It feels like a make-or-break offseason for the defensive line. That’s the position group I’m most intrigued by. The Niners have one of the 10 best defensive linemen in the game, Nick Bosa. Maliek Collins played better than most fans believe, but he’s more of a “Robin” than a “Batman.” After those two, can you confidently say you can count on that player moving forward?
Leonard Floyd was familiar with Brandon Staley, now the defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints. On paper, 8.5 sacks hint that Floyd made an impact last season. But I’d argue most of those were empty, and there were far too many games where Floyd, who turns 33 before the start of the season, was non-existent. Floyd totaled one quarterback hit from Week 13 on. Both of his sacks in that timeframe came against the Chicago Bears, one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell listed Floyd as a potential cap causality ahead of free agency and put him in the fourth tier, which was titled “borderline starters/high-end backups.” Barnwell also put Yetur Gross-Matos as a potential casualty in the Tier 5 category titled “Backups likely to net guaranteed money.”
We’ve already talked about Gross-Matos as a likely cut candidate. Gross-Matos missed a big chunk of the season before being activated from the Injured Reserve ahead of Week 11. You can’t help from the sideline, and expecting anything different in Year 2 feels rather foolish.
Barnwell also listed defensive tackle Jordan Elliott once he went through the defensive tackles. Elliott was a replacement-level player, and releasing him would cost the 49ers $313,824. He has one year remaining on his contract.
Back to Floyd, whose contract also voids after 2025. Trading Samuel means the 49ers still have one post-June 1 designation they can use, assuming the other one goes to Javon Hargrave.
Releasing Floyd before June 1 would mean the Niners eat $8.6 million in dead money and save $1.47 against the cap. However, a post-June 1 designation would allow the 49ers to spread that $8.6 million in dead money over the next four seasons while saving $7.95 million in cap savings this season and $4.31 million in 2026.
When general manager John Lynch said, “We have to get younger,” Floyd was the first name that came to mind. Releasing multiple players only creates more roster holes. The 49ers failed to replace Arik Armstead last offseason, so that needs to be a priority this year.
A deep defensive line draft class and the 49ers selecting high enough to snag a pair of starters will go a long way in replenishing the talent and the depth up front. Drafting three defensive linemen shouldn’t be out of the question. Robert Saleh can go in a myriad of ways. If we learned anything last year, bringing in one-dimensional players will not get the job done.
It makes sense for the 49ers to press the reset button along the defensive line. This front office has been anything but risk-averse, and if there was an NFL Draft to take advantage of needing multiple players in the trenches, it’s this upcoming class.