NFL Rumors: Arik Armstead Signs 3-Year, $51M Jaguars Contract After 49ers Release

Arik Armstead has been a cornerstone for the San Francisco 49ers throughout his career, but that will change in 2024.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported the Jacksonville Jaguars and Armstead have agreed to a three-year, $51 million contract after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported two sides were "closing in on a deal."

This comes after Schultz reported on Sunday that San Francisco was set to release Armstead.

Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area explained the team asked him to take "a significant pay cut from his scheduled salary of $17.41 million," but he decided against it. ESPN's Adam Schefter noted "the two sides came close to a deal," however the veteran wanted to see what type of offers he would receive on the open market.

Akash Anavarathan of Bay Area Sports Digest illustrated the financial details of the situation from the team's perspective:

Even with that development, it will be unusual to see Armstead in a different jersey than San Francisco's.

The NFC West team selected him with the No. 17 overall pick of the 2015 NFL draft, and he eventually established himself as one of the club's most important defensive players over the course of nine years.

Armstead posted a career-high in sacks in 2019 with 10 while helping lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl. He also helped lead them to the Super Bowl last season, although they fell short in both with losses to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Super Bowl loss or not, he was still effective in 2023 with 27 tackles and five sacks in 12 games. While he missed the final five games of the regular season with foot and knee injuries, he returned for the playoffs and notched six tackles and one sack in the Super Bowl.

The 30-year-old looked like he will remain a defensive force for the foreseeable future throughout the season, and Pro Football Focus gave him an impressive overall player grade of 81.9.

If he can turn in a similar effort in 2024, this will be a critical signing for the Jaguars as they look to make a postseason push.