49ers 2020 salary cap concerns aren’t concerns because of Paraag Marathe

The San Francisco 49ers are going to be pressed to re-sign talent in 2020, but the salary cap concerns aren’t as pressing as could be due to the work of the team’s contracts specialist, Paraag Marathe.

For the first time in a number of years, the San Francisco 49ers are going to be pressed into some tough salary cap decisions during the offseason.

Unlike previous years, when the Niners weren’t particularly good and didn’t have to worry about spending top dollar on less-than-stellar talent, cap space was something which played into the team’s benefit.

Coming off a close Super Bowl loss and still favored to make it deep into the playoffs in 2021, the 49ers now find themselves in a precarious salary cap situation — projected as $13,123,285 according to Over the Cap.

Fortunately, this is the time when Executive Vice President of Football Operations Paraag Marathe let’s his value to the team shine.

Gone are the days when many a fan wanted Marathe gone. If anything, his value to the team as a chief contracts negotiator is exceptional. Those skills are reasons why the 49ers have a fighting chance to re-sign some of their top pending free-agent players, namely wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, defensive back Jimmie Ward and defensive end Arik Armstead, this offseason.

The $13-plus million in cap space will change and already has.

Late in December, Marathe and the 49ers reworked center Weston Richburg‘s contract, adding two voidable years in 2023 and 2024 and saving over $4.5 million in cap space. In November, the 49ers also restructured linebacker Kwon Alexander‘s contract, as pointed out by Over the Cap:

"The team pro-rated a small amount ($333,525) of Alexander’s remaining 2019 salary to signing bonus.  Alexander’s 2020 was lowered from $11.25 million to $976,235 with the rest paid out as an option bonus on April 1, 2020.  The team added three voidable years to the contract for salary cap purposes.  Alexander’s contract will now void on the 5th day of the 2023 waiver period.  This will make Alexander an unrestricted free agent in 2023, same as he was scheduled based on the original contract."

This generated more than $8 million in cap space, again showing Marathe’s ability.

Niners Nation’s Jason Hurley speculates Marathe and the 49ers won’t stop there, either. According to Hurley, the Niners could be looking to rework contracts for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, left tackle Joe Staley and EDGE Dee Ford this offseason, too, potentially generating nearly $35 million for 2020.

Granted, this doesn’t mean San Francisco will go contract wild with some of those pending free agents. Marathe and the 49ers still have to think about extending defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and tight end George Kittle, who’ll both be commanding some top dollar for their respective positions.

And the contract restructuring could ultimately create some later dead-money problems down the road, should any of those reworked contracts not pan out beyond 2020.

Still, the 49ers have been one of those rare teams never getting themselves into salary cap hell, especially back in the early 2010s, when they were regularly in the upper echelon of top payrolls.

The reason why? Marathe.