The arrow is pointing upward for the San Francisco 49ers heading into the regular season. It all started when they extended Brandon Aiyuk on Aug. 9. Now, they finally have finalized a new contract with Trent Williams on Tuesday. Everything is looking positive as they prepare for Week 1 against the New York Jets. However, there is a drawback to the 49ers extending both Aiyuk and Williams. The drawback is the surprising move they made with Deebo Samuel
49ers Make a Surprising Move With Deebo Samuel
The 49ers restructured Samuel’s contract, which creates $16.4 million in salary cap space per Field Yates. This move is surprising because Samuel’s contract becomes difficult to move. Typically, a contract restructure means a team converts base salary into a signing bonus. The 49ers are kicking the can down the road with Samuel’s cap hits. It’s good for the short-term, but bad for the long-term.
When Aiyuk was extended, it was an early indication that Samuel was in the final year with the 49ers. They chose Aiyuk over Samuel essentially since paying two receivers a premium is a luxury they can’t afford. Samuel was heading into 2025 with a moveable contract for the 49ers via release or trade. That was the likeliest outcome. But now this move could mean that the 49ers are set on keeping Samuel in 2025 and beyond.
It’s still a fluid situation, and the 49ers could always eat the dead money from Samuel’s contract next year. Take Arik Armstead, for example. The 49ers restructured his contract last year to free up cap space. However, they ended up releasing him in March. Now, they have to deal with his dead money for the next two years. Thanks to releasing him, they are eating a total of $25.8 million from Armstead’s release. Restructuring a player’s deal is risky.
But it’s a move the 49ers are willing to make as they did with Armstead. 2024 seems to be a “prove it” year for Samuel with the 49ers. Either he’ll prove to be a player they want beyond 2024 or a player they’ll regret restructuring.
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Main Photo Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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