Arik Armstead gets what the San Francisco 49ers weren't prepared to pay from man who drafted him
Arik Armstead didn't last long on the open market, as the former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman was snapped up by a team overseen by a familiar face. On Thursday, Armstead reportedly came to terms on a three-year, $51 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, having been officially released with a post-June 1 designation by […]
Arik Armstead didn't last long on the open market, as the former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman was snapped up by a team overseen by a familiar face.
On Thursday, Armstead reportedly came to terms on a three-year, $51 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, having been officially released with a post-June 1 designation by the 49ers on Wednesday.
Armstead had refused to take a pay cut from the 49ers, and instead lands with the man who drafted him for San Francisco back in 2015, now Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke.
The contract gives Armstead an average annual salary of $17 million, with Baalke agreeing to pay just under what the 49ers weren't willing to give their longest-tenured player.
San Francisco had reportedly requested Armstead accept a restructure that would have significantly cut his $17.4 million salary for 2024.
He declined, so the 49ers took the decision to part ways, saving $18 million against the cap in the process.
Armstead is undoubtedly an excellent defensive tackle, and he is coming off one of his best career seasons, especially as a pass rusher. Armstead ranked seventh in Pro Football Focus' pass rush grade for interior defensive linemen despite missing the final five games of the regular season. He then led all interior linemen in pressures in the postseason during the 49ers' run to the Super Bowl, tallying 16 despite playing with a torn meniscus.
Yet it is Armstead's injury issues that will have factored into the 49ers' unwillingness to pay him entering his age 31 season. In addition to the knee problem, Armstead was also dealing with plantar fasciitis, which has now hampered him for successive campaigns.
Baalke, though, developed a reputation during his time with the 49ers for taking bets on injured players. predominantly in the mid rounds of the draft. Those bets were not successful.
That is not to say the gamble on Armstead won't be. Armstead deserves credit for betting on himself and getting what he wanted, but, given his recent injury history, there's at least a chance Baalke will be proven guilty of a misjudgement and the 49ers will look very smart for making the controversial call to allow a locker room leader to say farewell.
