5 potential cap casualties for 49ers with reduced 2021 salary cap
By Peter Panacy
No. 5: 49ers Left Guard Laken Tomlinson
San Francisco already underwent some serious changes along its offensive line during the offseason, losing both left tackle Joe Staley and right guard Mike Person, then replacing them with Trent Williams and either Daniel Brunksill or Tom Compton, respectively.
Yet there could be even more changes in 2021.
Starting left guard Laken Tomlinson has been a staple for the Niners offense ever since being acquired from the Detroit Lions early in 2017, missing only one game during that stretch. Currently, he’s signed through 2021. But given the 49ers’ precarious cap situation, it’s highly likely the 28-year-old Tomlinson doesn’t see the final year of his current deal.
Should the Niners elect to move on, they’d have to eat $5.5 million in dead money against only $250,000 in cap savings if he was to be cut prior to June 1. After that date, however, the cap savings jumps to $4.5 million with only $1.25 million in dead money.
It would get tricky with San Francisco having to get its top 51 contracts under $175 million by the start of the league new year. Yet if the team elects to grab a promising lineman in the 2021 NFL Draft, not signing him until after that date would allow the 49ers to reach that point on the calendar, cutting Tomlinson and generating much more in cap space.
It would work, as long as a would-be rookie develops quickly enough.