The Arik Armstead era is over in San Francisco. The 49ers on Wednesday announced his release as part of their roster moves to kick off the new league year. They also officially announced the return of quarterback Brandon Allen and a one-year extension for offensive lineman Colton McKivitz.
There was a little optimism entering Wednesday that the 49ers might be able to find a deal with Armstead where he returned at a lower salary number, but he opted for free agency as was originally reported. It became clear his return wasn’t happening once the 49ers’ acquisition of defensive tackle Maliek Collins in a trade with the Texans was reported.
By waiting until the start of the new league year to let Armstead go the 49ers can designate him as a post-June 1 release which saves them a ton of money against the cap. They’ll still eat $10,313,824 in dead cap, but they’ll save $18,039,412 against the cap in June by giving him a post-June 1 designation.
Armstead is now free to sign with another club.
The 49ers selected Armstead No. 17 overall in the 2015 draft. He put together a terrific nine seasons in San Francisco where he posted 33.5 sacks and became a vital piece of their defensive line after dealing with a slew of injuries in the early part of his career. Armstead is still a versatile defender and run stopper, and he won’t be 31 until November.
Injuries forced him to miss 13 games the last two seasons, but when he’s been healthy he’s been a productive player who should be able to help a defensive line.
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