A former San Francisco 49ers star defender said he made a business decision to leave the team after the front office handed him a contract he thought was a slap in the face. The 49ers are trying to run it back in the upcoming season with a team that came a few points shy of winning a Super Bowl in February.
The San Francisco 49ers have big contracts coming up
However, the 49ers must ball on a budget for the foreseeable future. Like many successful teams, the 49ers have thin cap space because of their elite roster. They also have to be aware of a couple of paydays that are coming. The 49ers could extend Brock Purdy to a new deal as soon as the next offseason. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk also expects a big bag.
Because of cap space concerns, the team didn’t have the money to splurge on former 2015 first-round pick Arik Armstead. Armstead signed a three-year deal worth $43 million with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency this month. He will team up with star pass rusher Josh Allen, who is on the franchise tag this season.
Arik Armstead felt disrespected
Armstead plans to tell his side of the story on the “Third And Long” podcast. He posted a preview of the episode.
“First off, I want to say I don’t have any animosity toward the organization, Kyle [Shanahan], John [Lynch], the York family,” Armstead said in a video posted on his X account. ” I felt extremely disrespected. They extended an offer to me,” the video cuts out to a blank number of millions the 49ers offered him.
“Nine years of me being there. The fans deserve to know what happened. You know, I had to make some decisions,” Armstead said.
The first episode of #ThirdAndLong Season 2 drops tomorrow.
Watch here: https://t.co/aAyXsp0Dsy pic.twitter.com/baHYSBpjo8
— Arik Armstead (@arikarmstead) March 28, 2024
The 49ers didn’t have the money
Armstead and everyone else know what happened. They couldn’t afford to keep the aging star on a team with big contracts yet to sign for younger players in the organization. Armstead received a good deal and should have a chance to compete in the playoffs next season on a loaded Jaguars team.
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