In his 49ers mailbag, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports addressed Arik Armstead‘s impending free agency. The seventeenth overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft struggled early in his career with injuries and consistency but emerged as an integral part of San Francisco’s defensive line over the past two seasons. Armstead has the versatility to play the edge of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s 4-3 defense on early downs and then move inside on passing situations.
Armstead has started each of the 49ers last 35 games (playoffs included) and set career-marks this season in sacks (10.0), tackles for loss (11), quarterback hits (18), and tackles (54) as a part of the vaunted Niners defensive front. Now, set for unrestricted free agency, Maiocco downplays the chances San Francisco franchise tags the defensive lineman to trade him. He believes if the team has the cap space to apply the tag, they’ll work out an extension.
Here’s some more rumors out of Santa Clara:
- Matt Barrows and David Lombardi of The Athletic continued their “State of the 49ers” series, this time looking at the team’s running backs. While no halfback amassed 1,000 yards on the season, the team’s depth at the position was obvious to anyone following the team. Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida, and Raheem Mostert all played like the team’s number one back at different points in the season. They place a primary focus on the future of Jerrick McKinnon-who missed the past two seasons with injuries-with the team. If he returns on a team-friendly contract, San Francisco may be comfortable letting Tevin Coleman pursue opportunities elsewhere.
- Following their Super Bowl defeat, the 49ers now face a series of difficult salary-cap decisions. Patrick Holloway of Niners Nation speculates the team could attach a draft pick to defensive lineman Solomon Thomas to save more than $4MM in cap space. Since Thomas was selected with the third overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, his entire contract is guaranteed and the Niners cannot gain any cap relief from releasing him. However, if he were traded, his dead cap hit would be cut in half, saving the team half of his nearly $9MM cap hit.
Coleman is a good back … can see him fitting a lot of places … Detroit, KC, Miami, Atlanta ( again ) , Houston …
I bet SF let’s him walk and Seattle snags him up to help with Clowney on that pass rush. Cause Seattle isn’t gonna let Clowney go anywhere. How destructive would that pass rush be with Armstead and Clowney.
Niners should tag and trade him. They need draft picks and they should try to snag another defensive lineman at half his price around 8 mill per year (leonard Williams?) in free agency.
Leonard Williams isn’t gonna cost $8M/season. And he sucks.
Keep AA.
I don’t get that 49ers would attach a pick to Thomas… we don’t have any picks left, unless they trade out of the 1st and use one of those picks acquired.
Interesting I read it and thought they would want a pick for him. I don’t see them giving up a pick for a team to get both. I think especially if they could get him to sign an extension he would be worth a pick.
Armstead would be nice in a Hawk uni but not sure they have the cap space to sign him and Clowney. They have space but that is a lot for two DL. They traded Frank for picks and cap space. the off season will be fun once the new year starts.
Armstead and Mustard for the #1 pick?