Predicting 3 cap casualties SF 49ers will cut to free up money in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: SF 49ers Left Guard Laken Tomlinson
There’s a good reason why San Francisco won’t move on from veteran left guard Laken Tomlinson this offseason. In fact, there are a few of them.
The SF 49ers could see a pretty wide-scale turnover along their offensive line in 2021. Left tackle Trent Williams will be an expensive re-sign and could walk in NFL free agency anyway. Center Weston Richburg‘s future is up in the air (more on that later) and there could be some much-needed upgrades at right guard, too, making a change from Tomlinson much more difficult to process.
But the 2021 NFL Draft is awfully loaded with talented offensive linemen throughout all rounds, meaning replacing names like Tomlinson, Richburg and Williams is going to be easier this offseason than it otherwise might be in other years.
Essentially, the Niners have two choices with Tomlinson: extending him or make him a cap casualty.
The former seems like a smart route to take, freeing up almost $3 million in 2021 cap space while retaining the 29-year-old lineman who has missed just one start during his four-year San Francisco tenure.
The other option, meanwhile, would be to let Tomlinson walk because he carries zero in guaranteed money for 2021, and that move would save nearly $4 million in cap space.
It all depends on how the SF 49ers view that extra million.