The San Francisco 49ers have decided to move on from defensive tackle Kalia Davis by allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
This move opens the door for the Niners to reunite with a fav-favorite in free agency if he gets released, though.
Arik Armstead is still with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but there is a possibility the Jags could move on from him to clear up cap space. There are no guarantees they would do that, but Armstead has a cap hit of nearly $19.5 million next season, which is a lot for a guy who is nowhere near his previous peak with San Francisco.
Last season with Jacksonville, Armstead played in 16 games and started 11 of them. He had 5.5 sacks, 28 tackles, eight quarterback hits, and one forced fumble. It was not a terrible season, but it was not worth nearly $20 million.
If the Jaguars did decide to release him, that would make him a free agent. Both Davis and Jordan Elliott, San Francisco's two starting defensive tackles for much of last season, are set to be free agents as well, so the Niners may need to add at that position.
They did draft two interior defensive linemen last year in C.J. West and Alfred Collins. The rookies looked good at times, and the Niners may want Collins to step into a starting role in his second season, but it may help to have a veteran presence next to him in the trenches.
Things did not end ideally between the 49ers and Armstead a few years ago. After the Super Bowl loss in 2024, the Niners asked Armstead to take a pay cut, and he refused, so they released him. He said he felt disrespected and actually had a bit of a revenge game against San Francisco last season with a game-sealing sack as his old team tried to mount a comeback.
If the 49ers were the only team interested, that could make a reunion easier for Armstead to stomach. He is 32 years old now and is coming off a season where he was not even a starter by the end of the year, so teams probably won't be lining up to sign him.
San Francisco could make sense if it wants to have a cheap option on the D-line who could help mentor the young guys like Collins and West for a season.