49ers salary cap: 4 easy decisions John Lynch must make this offseason
By Peter Panacy
Currently $4 million over the cap, John Lynch and the 49ers have to navigate some deals accordingly to free up space for 2021 and beyond.
The San Francisco 49ers — and the rest of the NFL, for that matter — have just over a month to get compliant with the 2022 offseason salary cap.
That number, according to Over the Cap, is going to rise to $208.2 million after 2021’s “down year” in light of the pandemic.
Despite the increase, though, the Niners are actually projected to be over the 2022 salary cap by $4.48 million, meaning general manager John Lynch and Co. will have to get creative with some contracts for players on the roster if San Francisco wants to act aggressively on the open market.
Fortunately, it’s not the worst situation out there. Case in point, the New Orleans Saints are nearly $76 million over the cap.
Still, Lynch and the 49ers front office will have to engineer some offseason moves to free up salary-cap space, especially if extensions for star players like wide receiver Deebo Samuel and EDGE Nick Bosa are in order.
Fortunately, there are some easy ways to go about doing so.
All contractual figures and estimations courtesy of Over the Cap unless otherwise indicated.
49ers easy move No. 1: Trade Jimmy Garoppolo
Cap space saved in 2022: $25.55 million
The proverbial “elephant in the room” this offseason is the future of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who is expected to be moved by the way of a trade in what’s shaping up to be a weak quarterback market.
Garoppolo, in the final year of that five-year deal signed early in 2018, is scheduled to make $26.95 million in 2022 but with only $1.4 million in dead money, meaning the Niners would free up $25.55 million by moving on from him and opening up the door for 2021 rookie Trey Lance to take over the starting quarterback duties.
What San Francisco receives in return, and which team comes calling for Garoppolo, is the subject of much speculation already.
But the big focal point, aside from getting Lance’s play on a rookie contract, will be the 49ers clearing what’s owed to Jimmy G in 2022, thereby freeing up enough cash to extend Samuel, Bosa while being able to attack NFL free agency for other needs.