Niner Noise Podcast: 49ers salary cap talk with Jason Hurley

On this episode of the Niner Noise Podcast, Jason Hurley stops by to talk about the 49ers salary cap situation, especially involving one quarterback still on the roster.

Right now, according to Over the Cap, the San Francisco 49ers enter the upcoming 2022 season with the NFL’s least amount of salary cap room.

Specifically, just over $3.5 million.

Under most circumstances, this would be a challenge, as injuries and other in-season moves typically eat up as much as $5 million any given year, while the Niners also want to earmark some cash for what promises to be a lucrative extension for Pro Bowl EDGE Nick Bosa about a year from now.

However, San Francisco has one easy card to play when it comes to freeing up cap space, and one of the best 49ers salary cap analysts out there, Jason Hurley of 49erscap.com, stopped by to chat it all up with the Niner Noise Podcast this week.

49ers salary cap analysis for 2022 with Jason Hurley

Speaking of that card to play, the Niners are actively looking to move quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo prior to the start of the regular season. There are deadlines here, the first one being on Tuesday, Aug. 30, when San Francisco has to trim its roster down to 53 players.

Would the 49ers want to use a roster spot on Garoppolo, then look to trade him?

It’s possible, and both Hurley and Niner Noise Podcast host Robert Morrison explored that idea.

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If that’s the case, the Niners could hold onto Garoppolo as late as the day before San Francisco’s opening day, Saturday, Sept. 10, before his base salary of $24.2 million is guaranteed.

Read More: Jimmy Garoppolo trade held up by this one X-factor

However, the 49ers would probably prefer to move Garoppolo to the highest-bidding suitor whenever that might be, perhaps the Cleveland Browns, who are now reportedly interested in trading for the Niners’ veteran signal-caller if fellow quarterback Deshaun Watson’s current six-game suspension gets extended longer.

With San Francisco on the hook for just $1.4 million in dead money in the wake of a would-be Garoppolo deal, there’d be a substantial increase in cap space it’d have.

Be sure to check out this episode of the Niner Noise Podcast, subscribe to it and leave a five-star review.

And also give thanks to our friend, Jason Hurley, by following him on Twitter — @49ersCap.