Official: 49ers release Sacramento native Arik Armstead Wednesday
Mar 10, 2024, 7:48 PM | Updated: Mar 13, 2024, 1:28 pm
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 08: Arik Armstead #91 of the San Francisco 49ers runs out prior to a game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium on October 08, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Update: The 49ers have confirmed the release of defensive tackle Arik Armstead Wednesday. Per reports, it will be a post-June-1st designation, saving the Red & Gold $18 million in 2024. The dead money remaining will be split into two seasons, costing $10.3 million this year, and $15.5 million in 2025.
Original Story:
The upcoming 2024 season appears to be the year of change for the 49ers’ current roster, and that it will be, with defensive tackle Arik Armstead hitting the market a year early.
Reports surfaced Sunday evening that the San Francisco 49ers would be releasing four-time captain Arik Armstead ahead of the 2024 season. The move comes on the eve of the first phase of 2024 free agency, with the Red & Gold slated for changes across the board. While SF would have liked to keep Armstead around, the move is a salary cap casualty for long-term roster flexibility.
Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz was first with the news, followed by local and national sources confirming it thereafter.
Sources to @BleacherReport: #49ers star DL Arik Armstead has decided to become a free agent and will be released.
Armstead comes off a 6 tackle, 1-sack performance in the Super Bowl, and ranks 4th in playoff sacks among all active players.
His 8 playoff sacks rank second… pic.twitter.com/og5m3RsU3s
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 11, 2024
The move comes after the two sides failed to agree on a restructured contract for next season. Armstead was entering the final year of a five-year extension, set to have a cap hit of $28.35 million. When the 49ers approached the big man about a “significant pay cut” for next season, he declined, wanting to test his market in free agency.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
After the 49ers and DL Arik Armstead attempted but failed to work out a restructured contract, San Francisco now plans to release him, per source. Armstead now is expected to become a free agent. The two sides came close to a deal, but Armstead, as [Jordan Schultz] reported, wanted to see what his market is.
Arik Armstead, 30, is the 49ers’ longest-tenured player, drafted by the team in 2015. In nine seasons, he has amassed 302 combined tackles, 33.5 sacks (10th in franchise history) and 88 quarterback hits. He was also phenomenal in the postseason, racking up 38 tackles and eight sacks (2nd in franchise history). He finished 2023 with an 85.6 pass-rushing grade, per Pro Football Focus.
Unfortunately, injuries plagued Armstead the final two years of his 49ers’ tenure, missing 13 regular-season games with foot and knee issues. In 2023, he missed five games stemming from a torn meniscus suffered in Week 13. He played through the injury in the postseason, now set for a lengthy rehab over the summer.
Armstead’s release will likely be designated for post-June 1st, saving the 49ers $17.8 million in 2024, and $14.8 million in 2025 potentially.
Arik Armstead is a product of Pleasant Grove High School, becoming a four-star recruit. He played his collegiate career at the University of Oregon, before being selected 17th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft by the 49ers.
Key offseason dates for the San Francisco 49ers
- Monday, March 11th – 2024 NFL free agency contract talks begins at 9 a.m. PST
- Wednesday, March 13th – 2024 free agency signing period begins at 1 p.m. PST
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