Does the salary cap actually exist for the 49ers? Their big-ticket signings have grabbed plenty of headlines over the last couple of years, but they’ve never managed to run into serious cap problems. That’s due to good cap management, and a reliance on key players either on rookie deals or outperforming cheap free agent contracts.
At some point they’ll have to make hard decisions, like not re-signing Mike McGlinchey or figuring out how to fit Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk into the receiving corps once Aiyuk is up for an extension.
For now though they’re in a good place spending-wise thanks in part to never going too high or too low on any one position group. With a couple exceptions, the team’s spending is very well-balanced.
We went through position-by-position on the Over the Cap positional spending chart to figure out where San Francisco ranks in spending at each position:
Quarterback: $14,043,628
NFL rank: 16th
It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the 49ers exist in the middle of the league at QB for awhile. Trey Lance’s relatively low cap number of $9,301,434 is by far the highest on the team, and neither he nor Brock Purdy are due for extensions any time soon.
Running back: $15,020,259
NFL rank: 6th
Christian McCaffrey’s $12,000,000 cap hit carries a bulk of this number. The 49ers could elect to rework his deal though and push some of his money into the future to lower their 2023 spending at the position.
Wide receiver: $19,447,346
NFL rank: 22nd
This number is low for now because the big years on Deebo Samuel’s contract haven’t kicked in. His cap number jumps from $8.6 million this year to $28.5 million next year as his deal is currently constructed. Brandon Aiyuk and Danny Gray remain on their rookie deals, and Jauan Jennings is on the very cheap exclusive rights tender with a cap charge of $940,000.
Tight end: $20,169,009
NFL rank: 2nd
This is virtually all George Kittle, whose 2023 cap hit costs the 49ers $18,033,751. Charlie Woerner is the only other TE under contract and he’s entering the final year of his sixth-round rookie contract.
Offensive line: $41,360,365
NFL rank: 16th
The 49ers can still land in the middle of the pack on the offensive front despite Trent Williams’ mammoth $27,227,424 cap hit in 2023 because everyone else on the line is so cheap. Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford are on rookie deals. Jake Brendel inked a four-year contract that comes with a $2,272,000 cap hit this year, and right tackle is till to-be-determined, though the starter there won’t be expensive either.
Offensive total: $110,040,607
NFL rank: 14th
It’s likely the 49ers will remain in the middle of the pack in offensive spending as long as they’re not paying a quarterback top-dollar and keeping low-cost talent virtually across the offensive line.
Interior defensive line: $39,987,109
NFL rank: 2nd
Surprisingly this is not largely due to Javon Hargrave’s contract, which comes with a cap hit of just $6,615,000 this season. Arik Armstead’s $23,755,883 cap hit accounts for most of the spending along the interior of the defensive line. What’s not noted here is how the 49ers use edge players to rush from the inside, so they double-dip a little spending-wise.
Edge rusher: $22,528,180
NFL rank: 19th
Nick Bosa’s contract isn’t done yet, which will change this investment dramatically over the coming years, However, his deal will likely reduce his cap number some this year and push the 49ers further down the list despite housing the reigning defensive player of the year. Bosa is on track for a $17,859,000 cap hit if he plays on his fifth-year option with no extension.
Linebacker: $20,145,558
NFL rank: 5th
The 49ers will launch themselves way up the board next year when Fred Warner’s cap hit leaps more than $15 million to $24,469,000. He’s carrying nearly half the spending at this position though at $9,049,000, with Dre Greenlaw checking in at $5,548,558 to account for another large portion of the spending.
Safety: $6,940,038
NFL rank: 29th
No surprise here. Talanoa Hufanga is on his fifth-round rookie deal still, and Tashaun Gipson, George Odum and Myles Hartsfield are all on very inexpensive contracts. The 49ers have done a nice job piecing together a safety room without shelling out big money.
Cornerback: $14,814,280
NFL rank: 23rd
This group is a lot like the safety group. Charvarius Ward is on a sizable contract, but reworked his deal this offseason to lower his cap hit to $6,421,000 for this season. Isaiah Oliver signed in free agency, but has a cap charge lower than $2 million. The rest of the CB room is likely to be on rookie deals.
Defensive total: $104,415,165
NFL rank: 9th
Depending on how the 49ers rework deals and maneuver in free agency over the next couple years, this could quickly leap to the top of the list. There are a lot of very good players making lots of money for San Francisco’s defense, which helps explain why they churn out consistently good units under head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
