Arik Armstead set to be released by the 49ers after he ‘declined’ taking a significant pay cut

Arik Armstead has been a part of the Niners since 2015.

Arik Armstead set to be released by the 49ers after he ‘declined’ taking a significant pay cut

Arik Armstead (Image via IMAGO)

The San Francisco 49ers have been witnessing some restructuring in their present squad. In the next season, the team will be continuing without the service of their defensive lineman Arik Armstead. According to NBC Sports, the defensive lineman refused to accept the pay cut in his salary worth $17.4 million.

Arik Armstead signed a lucrative deal nearly four years back. After five years on the team, the 49ers valued him at $85 million for five years in March 2020. Since then, he has been a part of the Niners squad and contributed significantly.

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According to NBC Sports Bay Area, the Niners team asked the lineman to reduce his salary. It was an attempt from the Niners’ end to maintain the salary cap. He refused it and now the Niners are looking to let him go. If the team releases him then he will be allowed to sign in any team.

The decision might not benefit the 49ers as they will be able to save only $2.492 million against the cap. As a result of this trade, the Niners’ management will be subjected to the dead-money charge of $25.86 million. However, Reuters suggested that this would help the Niners to disperse the dead money in future years which would be important to save an $18 million cap in the coming time.

Armstead had been quite impactful last season. Despite the defensive struggles that the team witnessed, his performance on the gridiron was impactful. He registered 5 sacks and 27 tackles in the games he played as a starter. In his entire career, Armstead had 33.5 sacks and 302 tackles. He played a total of 112 games as a Niner. It is worth noting that he was a starter in 97 games out of those 112.

Arik Armstead hinted at the future much before

The defensive lineman who was one of the most impactful players in the league, hinted at his possible fate a few days back. According to Yahoo Sports, the two parties had multiple meetings and they were close to signing a deal. Nevertheless, it failed at the last moment.

A few weeks back, the DL posted on his Instagram:

Only a few people knew one of the hardest years mentally & physically. But I hold the pen! Control what you can control! When you put yourself out there you learn a lot about yourself. 1 thing I learned for sure is that I’m different! #stayhungry.
Arik Armstead wrote on Instagram

Armstead was a popular figure in the Niners. It is worth noting that he was nominated for the Water Payton Man of the Year Award four times in a row.

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