After taking over as the starting right guard in 2022, battling injuries and alternating with Jon Feliciano in 2023, San Francisco 49ers’ offensive lineman Spencer Burford had a rough 2024 campaign. He missed the first three weeks of training camp with a fractured right hand. Upon returning, Burford lost the starting right guard competition to Dominick Puni and was limited to 113 offensive snaps.
He needs to make the most of the opportunities since he is entering a contract year.
San Francisco 49ers’ OL enters the final year of his deal
Spencer Burford enters the final year of his rookie contract and will become an unrestricted free agent next offseason. Due to Proven Performance Escalators, which reward second to seventh-round picks for playing a significant amount of playing time, he is scheduled to earn a $3.406 million base salary and a $3.574 million cap hit in 2025. However, PPEs do not have any guaranteed money attached to them, and many teams will request a player to restructure their contract or take a pay cut.
San Francisco 49ers’ former starter agreed to a slight pay cut
According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, the 49ers and Spencer Burford have agreed to a pay cut in exchange for a per-game roster bonus and some guaranteed money. As Fitzgerald points out, his $3.406 million base salary drops to $1.265 million, while his $3.574 million cap hit drops to $2.913 million, freeing $661,000 in cap space. Finally, the front office added a $500,000 bonus and a per-game roster bonus of $510,000, amounting to $30,000 for each game Burford plays in 2025.
He will compete for two important positions on the O-line
Spencer Burford will compete for two important positions on the offensive line this summer. First, he will contend for the starting left guard job against Ben Bartch, Nick Zakelj, and Connor Colby. Lastly, Burford will also vie for the swing tackle role against Andre Dillard, Sebastian Gutierrez, and Austen Pleasants.
