49ers moving on from DeForest Buckner was a matter of money

The San Francisco 49ers made a shocking move by trading Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, but the dollars point as to why the Niners executed the deal.

The San Francisco 49ers are currently a worse team without 2018 Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner in the ranks.

In a shocking move on Monday, general manager John Lynch moved one of the pillars of the Niners defense the past four years to the Indianapolis Colts, getting back a much-needed first-round NFL Draft pick in exchange. This came mere hours after San Francisco re-signed it’s 2019 sack leader, defensive end Arik Armstead, to a lucrative five-year deal.

On the surface, it appears as if the 49ers were choosing Armstead, coming off a career-best year, over Buckner, who had been one of the team’s most consistent and solid players since being selected in Round 1 of the 2016 draft.

Perhaps. But like everything else, there are far more reasons behind the initial moves, and those reasons need to be evaluated.

Getting the No. 13 overall pick from the Colts is no slouch. Remember, the 49ers owned just one other pick, No. 31 overall, between Rounds 1 through 4. There are some pressing needs, too, such as wide receiver, cornerback and the offensive line.

But arguably the real reason why San Francisco elected to part ways with Buckner is the dollar amount. One of the conditions of the trade was the Colts signing Buckner to a massive new deal worth approximately $21 million annually, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Niners, who had roughly $10 million in cap space before the window for negotiating with pending free agents opened, had almost zero means to offer Buckner what he wanted without making some drastic alterations elsewhere to a Super Bowl-caliber roster. This also probably explains why Buckner reportedly already turned down an extension from the 49ers.

Now, after re-signing both Armstead and defensive back Jimmie Ward, San Francisco still has just north of $11 million in cap space. Remember, Buckner was due over $12 million this season on his fully guaranteed fifth-year option. And Lynch could still end up clearing more space by cutting or trading a number of players no longer seen as long-term fits.

So, in a sense, trading Buckner gave the Niners the needed flexibility to retain both Armstead and Ward, who were two of the team’s top pending free agents, without diving into the limited amount of cap space they had.

Additionally, Lynch turned Buckner into a usable asset, getting a top-15 draft pick back in return right away rather than letting Armstead and/or Ward walk, banking on hopeful compensatory picks awarded in 2021.

Plus, San Francisco will need the $21 million in the coming years Buckner will now command in Indianapolis.

Make no mistake, the 49ers aren’t in better shape in the immediate future without Buckner in the ranks. There’s no clear-cut answer who’ll replace him within the team’s defensive line this season or beyond.

But Lynch continued to stick to the idea of prolonged success, keeping the Niners away from over-committing to players they essentially couldn’t afford to retain.