The 49ers on Friday announced the release of cornerback Isaiah Oliver.
Oliver signed a two-year, $6.75 million deal this offseason in hopes of carving out a starting nickel corner role with San Francisco. He struggled in the preseason and then the team’s best trio of cornerbacks didn’t wind up including him as Deommodore Lenoir wound up taking over the slot CB duties. His release clears $2.4 million in cap space per Over the Cap. The 49ers will have to eat $1.4 million in dead money this year, just shy of $1.1 million next year, and less than a million in 2026 and 2027.
Making Oliver a free agent now allows him to start on finding his next team. He won’t have to wait for mid-March when free agency begins.
While it’s a small surprise that Oliver didn’t get another opportunity to find a role in a shaky secondary, the fact he was on the bench for the Super Bowl in favor of Logan Ryan when the 49ers shook up their CB group for the final game of the year meant the writing was on the wall.
The 27-year-old CB played in all 17 games for San Francisco, but started only six of them. Oliver racked up 67 tackles, a couple tackles for loss, one interception and three pass breakups in his lone season in the Bay Area.
