The Los Angeles Rams made the blockbuster of blockbusters this offseason by trading for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, defensive end Myles Garrett.
The San Francisco 49ers' response was to ink fringe running back Sincere McCormick... or to waive him. It depended on the day.
In short, the Niners didn't have a response to their NFC West rivals making the splash of splashes. And it might be a bit provocative as to why. After all, San Francisco currently outpaces the 31 other teams in cap space—$71.73 million, per Over the Cap, which is more than $20 million above the No. 2 cap-boasting squad, the Tennessee Titans.
So, why isn't general manager John Lynch using that cap space, particularly in light of the NFC West arms race going on?
Turns out, there's a logical explanation.
49ers are planning to roll over bulk of their cap space into 2027 and beyond
Sure, San Francisco is saving a portion of that near $72 million for in-season moves, potentially looking at trade-deadline pickups and to account for free agents grabbed at various points between now and January.
But the bulk of that available space isn't likely to be applied until 2027, and it's ultimately going to help out the 49ers' less-than-desirable cap situations next year and in 2028, which is an argument Bay Area sports personality Larry Krueger made on a recent episode of 49ers Collective:
.@grantcohn asked the #49ers Collective about the team’s $72 million in cap space & their refusal to use it to improve the team. @sportslarryk: ‘I think it’s just part of their master plan. I mean, if you look at the way, their contracts are set up. They’ve got bad cap… pic.twitter.com/9CJwJHEWcY
— 49ers Collective (@49ersHMA) June 14, 2026
Diving deeper, here are the cap figures for the Niners in 2027 and 2028, courtesy of OTC:
- 2027: $34.18 million over the cap
- 2028: $16.95 million over the cap
The way San Francisco structured its contracts, particularly for star players like quarterback Brock Purdy and defensive end Nick Bosa, 2027 and 2028 are going to be years in which hefty deals truly hit the books hard.
In response, the 49ers will roll over a significant chunk of their cap space into the following seasons, which they've done in years prior and will essentially need to do an offseason from now.
So, while the Niners still have room for a mid-range free agent or two, the likelihood of some major splash additions over the course of 2026 seems pretty small when looking at the entire fiscal picture.
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