The 49ers will do everything they can – within reason – to keep the band together. After the defensive line lifted them to a Super Bowl appearance, GM John Lynch says he wants to keep pending free agent Arik Armstead for the long haul. 
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“Arik’s an excellent player. He’s had an excellent year. Everything is on the table,” Lynch told reporters on Thursday (via Jeff Kerr of CBSSports.com). “We want to find a way to keep him and make him a part of the 49ers for a long time.”
Armstead was responsible for ten of the D-Line’s 48 sacks in 2019. Before that, he totaled just nine sacks across four seasons. The disparity could be cause for concern, but others see this as the beginning of something special for the former first-round pick.
Naturally, the Niners want to keep him, but they have other fish to fry and limited fiscal flexibility. As of this writing, the Niners have less than $14MM in cap room. They can shed some contracts to create extra space, but they still have to leave enough cash to tight end George Kittle and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.
If they can’t work out a multi-year deal with Armstead, they could employ the franchise tag – something that Armstead says he’s not necessarily opposed to.
“I would love being here,” Armstead said recently. “Trying to go back to the Super Bowl, so however that is seen or has to get done, it’s not really my decision what they want to do with me.”