49ers salary cap: 4 easy decisions John Lynch must make this offseason
By Peter Panacy
49ers easy move No. 3: Extend Mike McGlinchey
Cap space saved in 2022: $7.88 million
There are those who feel trading right tackle Mike McGlinchey this offseason, just ahead of his fully guaranteed fifth-year option for 2022, would be the right move.
Perhaps that happens, as McGlinchey is owed $10.88 million for the upcoming year, and all of that could be removed from San Francisco’s financial obligations if he was to be traded.
Not a likelihood, but it’s certainly possible.
The other idea, especially if the 49ers feel as if there aren’t any other reasonable replacements for him, either on the offseason market or on the roster, is for an extension to be processed. It’s something our friend Jason Hurley over at 49erscap.com pointed out earlier:
"The 49ers could do a pseudo extension with right tackle Mike McGlinchey, where they add 4 void years, they’d end up saving $7.876 million, while there would be a $5.907 million dead money hit in 2023 if the 49ers don’t re-sign McGlinchey before the contract would void."
The Niners picking up McGlinchey’s fifth-year option suggests they’re committed to him, even if he is coming off a torn quad suffered last year.
If money is the ultimate concern, an extension would solve that in the interim before the 2023 salary cap is expected to rise significantly.