SF 49ers: 5 bold trades to help free up cap space in 2021
By Peter Panacy
The SF 49ers don’t have a ton of wiggle room in terms of the salary cap, yet these five potential trades could help matters a lot.
Just before the 2020 NFL trade deadline, the SF 49ers engineered a blockbuster move with the New Orleans Saints by sending veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander off in return for a 2022 fifth-round NFL Draft pick and linebacker Kiko Alonso.
The move wasn’t so much about getting Alonso, who was released not long afterwards, and the pick in return was nowhere near as important as the Niners clearing up Alexander’s hefty contract. While San Francisco had to absorb nearly $7 million in dead money because of the deal, the Saints took on $3 million in 2020 and will be on the hook for $13.5 million in 2021.
Right now, according to Over the Cap, the SF 49ers are projected to have just over $14 million in cap space against a projected $176 million salary cap this year. That number could change, particularly dependant on what happens with the cap number itself.
But it’s safe to say the Niners are no longer swimming in cap space. And with nearly 40 players poised to hit some form of free agency, it’s safe to say general manager John Lynch and Co. need to find some ways to offload some expensive contracts if those players don’t exactly fit into the team’s long-term plans.
These five potential moves may be of the bold variety. Yet at least in terms of helping San Francisco’s cap situation, they’d help a lot.
No. 5: SF 49ers trade Laken Tomlinson to NY Jets
The SF 49ers have a new friend with the NY Jets, now-head coach Robert Saleh, meaning it’ll likely be easier to engineer trades between the two franchises. There were already trade moves last year between the two squads anyway, but the Jets under Saleh now face a long-term rebuild.
Bulking up the offensive line in support of second-year offensive tackle Mekhi Becton would be wise, and the Jets have nearly $68 million in cap space to make any deal work. Plus, depending on what they do at quarterback, be it a trade for the Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson or retaining Sam Darnold, providing some protection would be a smart move.
From the Niners’ vantage point, moving left guard Laken Tomlinson might seem regressive. After all, he was one of the more consistent players along a banged-up O-line in 2020 and has missed all but one start in his four-year tenure with San Francisco.
The 2021 draft is awfully deep with offensive linemen, though, and the Jets could afford to bring in some veterans to establish the new culture. Plus, Tomlinson is a smart fit for new Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.
If the SF 49ers engineer a trade, while admitting the opening of a gap at left guard, the move would free up nearly $4 million if done before June 1 and $5 million if done afterward.
Since Tomlinson is a free agent in 2022, the return compensation won’t be much, perhaps nothing more than a fourth- or fifth-round pick. But it would free up some money, and the Niners can hope for one of those promising prospects in the draft to be a plug-and-play option.