The 49ers have recently reached out to offensive lineman Alex Boone, one of two notable NFC West players in the midst of a holdout, but Boone “remains resolute in his stance,” reports Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. The guard, like Marshawn Lynch in Seattle, has yet to report to training camp as he pushes for a new contract.
Boone, the Niners’ starting right guard in each of the last two seasons, is in line for a $2MM base salary this season and just $1.2MM in 2015. Having been an instrumental part of one of the league’s best offensive lines in recent years, the 27-year-old is looking for a raise to a level that more accurately reflects his talent. Currently, Boone ranks as the 43rd-highest-paid guard in the NFL.
As we heard last night, the 49ers recently restructured the contract of linebacker Ahmad Brooks, opening up $2MM+ in cap space. San Francisco didn’t have a ton of cap flexibility heading into training camp, so that $2MM could come in handy in creating wiggle room for a Boone extension. If the two sides aren’t able to reach an agreement, the Niners could also put those cap savings toward a new deal for extension candidates Michael Crabtree and/or Mike Iupati.
By not reporting to training camp, Boone is subject to escalating fines — by rule, the Niners are now free to go after a portion of Boone’s prorated signing bonus, as well as continuing to penalize him for each day of camp he misses.