The San Francisco 49ers' Salary-Cap Breakdown by Position
The San Francisco 49ers are going to need to be clever in managing the salary cap this offseason.
Having a talented roster always has its price, and for the 49ers—who re-signed Colin Kaepernick to a contract extension last year—it is proving to be a hefty one.
Over The Cap indicates that the Niners are currently $1.34 million under the salary cap, but Spotrac, in taking into account aspects such as the estimated amount teams will spend on draft picks, projects that the 49ers will be $6.14 million over the cap for the 2015 season.
What the figures prove is that San Francisco barely has any room to work with this offseason and will need to be smart in how it uses its money to re-sign impending free agents such as Frank Gore and Michael Crabtree and make some useful acquisitions from other teams.
But what position groups are costing the 49ers the most money? Here I analyze the areas in which San Francisco could stand to save itself some cap space in a position-by-position breakdown of the Niners' spending.
Quarterbacks
1 of 9
Contracted Players (2015 cap spend in brackets): Colin Kaepernick ($15.265 million)
Free Agents: Blaine Gabbert, Josh Johnson
Positional Spend: $15,265,753
The 49ers have committed over 10 percent of their 2015 salary cap to starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick. However, they have already saved money on the extension they agreed to in June of last year.
Kaepernick's base salary has decreased from $12.4m to $10.4m after a de-escalator in his contract was triggered by the 49ers' failure to reach the postseason.
San Francisco is tied to Kaepernick for at least the 2015 season, so there is very little capacity for change in terms of the money devoted to the quarterback position this year. Indeed, with plenty of money committed to other positions on the team, the Niners are unlikely to break the bank to acquire a backup for Kaepernick.
It would be a surprise to see 2014 backups Blaine Gabbert and Josh Johnson return to the team, and the acquisition of an affordable veteran backup and a mid to late-round draft pick would seem to make the most sense at a position where the 49ers are fully invested in their starter.
Running Backs
2 of 9
Contracted Players: Carlos Hyde ($836,745), Kendall Hunter ($735,000), Bruce Miller ($1.746 million), Trey Millard ($521,787)
Free Agents: Frank Gore, Alfonso Smith, Phillip Tanner
Positional Spend: $3,840,032
With Frank Gore set to become a free agent for the first time in his career, the 49ers do not have a lot of money committed to their backfield in 2015.
Arguably the biggest question facing the Niners this offseason is whether to re-sign Gore, who recorded his eighth 1,000-yard rushing season in 2014 at the age of 31. Most would argue it is in San Francisco's best interests to come to an agreement with its all-time leading rusher, and general manager Trent Baalke would appear to agree.
Baalke told Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area in December that the Niners want Gore back in 2015. However, it is questionable whether re-signing him makes sense from a salary-cap perspective.
Gore, despite his advancing years, is likely to command a decent amount of money given his history of consistent production, and San Francisco may find paying him difficult to justify following Carlos Hyde's relatively impressive rookie year.
The 49ers drafted Hyde to be their feature back for years to come, and he showed that he is capable of being the No. 1 guy by putting up 333 yards and scoring four touchdowns in his maiden season. The Niners should be excited by what they have in Hyde and, with a draft class deep at the tailback spot, the case for bringing Gore back looks less convincing.
I and other observers would argue that San Francisco is unlikely to find a back as complete as Gore, who still possesses the vision and patience to be one of the best in the NFL. Still, there is no guarantee Gore will continue to put up big numbers and, for a team with the contract extensions of other key players to consider, allowing his 49er career to come to an end makes a great deal of financial sense.
Meanwhile, at the fullback spot it seems unlikely that San Francisco will allow Trey Millard, who spent last season on injured reserve, to stay on the active roster at his current price. Expect the former Oklahoma Sooner to be cut and signed to the practice squad should he clear waivers.
Wide Receivers
3 of 9Contracted Players: Anquan Boldin ($6.909 million), Stevie Johnson ($6.025 million), Quinton Patton ($682,875), Bruce Ellington ($628,607), Trindon Holliday ($660,000), Lance Lewis ($510,000), Chuck Jacobs ($435,000)
Free Agents: Michael Crabtree, Brandon Lloyd, Kassim Osgood
Positional Spend: $15,850,482
The 49ers are due to spend a fair amount of money on the wide receiver position in 2015 for seemingly not a lot in return.
San Francisco's lack of cap room and the scant production from Michael Crabtree and Brandon Lloyd means that duo are unlikely to be back in 2015, leaving the 49ers with two possession receivers and two unproven young players at the position.
With Crabtree and Lloyd out of the picture, the Niners' receiving corps is arguably one of the worst in the league and not worth the outlay they are using on the position.
One could make the argument that Anquan Boldin, after posting consecutive 1,000-yard in his first two years with the 49ers, is worth the $6.9 million he will count toward the cap in 2015. But with Boldin now 34, there are question marks as to whether he can continue to produce at that level.
The Niners could therefore pursue a possible restructure of the final year of Boldin's contract. However, a more likely scenario is that they cut ties with Stevie Johnson, who came over in a draft-day trade with the Buffalo Bills last year.
Johnson showed flashes of the talent that saw him record three 1,000-yard seasons in Buffalo, yet he finished his maiden season with his hometown team with just 35 catches for 435 yards and three touchdowns.
Those kind of numbers do not justify a $6 million spend. Therefore it seems to be a distinct possibility that Johnson could be one-and-done with San Francisco, particularly given that cutting him would not result in any dead money being added to the salary cap.
Ellington figures to be given more of a chance after doing a solid job as a kick returner and scoring three touchdowns in his rookie year, while Patton will go into training camp and preseason perhaps fighting for a roster spot.
With plenty of talent in the receiver draft class and some affordable options in free agency, expect this group to have a different and much cheaper look to it come the start of the 2015 campaign.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Tight Ends
4 of 9
Contracted Players: Vernon Davis ($6.967 million), Vance McDonald ($981,594), Derek Carrier ($585,000), Asante Cleveland ($510,00), Xavier Grimble ($435,000)
Free Agents: None
Positional Spend: $8,584,512
The Niners have something of a dilemma to solve at the tight end position this offseason.
Following a dreadful season in which he did little to justify his holdout prior to the 2014 campaign, spending nearly $7 million of cap room on Vernon Davis appears extremely frivolous.
Davis had just 26 catches for 245 and two touchdowns, and cutting him would save $4.9 in cap room. However, with little talent behind him or in the tight end draft class, the chances of him becoming a cap casualty appear slim unless the Niners can find a free agent they feel is capable of replacing him.
There are some exciting free-agent options at the tight end position, such as Charles Clay of the Miami Dolphins and the Cleveland Browns' Jordan Cameron but, for a team that has built its offense around the run game and will have a talented tight ends coach in Tony Sparano, it is more likely the Niners bring in another player at the position to complement Davis.
Still, Davis did little well in 2014—he was not a factor in the passing game, and Pro Football Focus ranked him last in run blocking among all of the Niners' offensive players—and a $7 million outlay is nearly impossible to justify.
Expect San Francisco to try and rework Davis' contract or sign him to a new, more affordable deal. If it's unable to do so, then the talk about a possible parting of ways would have more credence.
Vance McDonald is costing the Niners less than $1 million in cap space. However, he is starting to look increasingly expensive after two seasons of excelling in run blocking and not much else. Whether he and third-string player Derek Carrier stick around will depend on whether San Francisco addresses the tight end position in free agency or the draft. Asante Cleveland and Xavier Grimble are unlikely to threaten the 53-man roster.
Offensive Line
5 of 9
Contracted Players: Daniel Kilgore ($1.875 million), Marcus Martin ($712,813), Dillon Farrell ($511,666), Alex Boone ($3.740 million), Joe Looney ($766,301), Brandon Thomas ($636,504), Andrew Tiller ($510,00), Anthony Davis ($5.654 million), Joe Staley ($6.40 million), Jonathan Martin ($1.042 million), Fou Fonoti ($436,666), Chris Martin ($435,000)
Free Agents: Mike Iupati
Positional Spend: $22,720,520
Like most teams, the 49ers have a fair amount of cap space committed to the offensive line, yet the money they are spending is quite reasonable save for their two starting tackles, Anthony Davis and Joe Staley, both of whom have proved worthy of their long-term contracts.
Pro Football Focus ranked Staley, who signed a five-year extension last July, No. 4 among all tackles, while Davis enjoyed a strong finish to an injury-disrupted year in which he played only seven games
Not much outlay is going toward the interior of the line, except for Alex Boone, who did just enough toward the back end of last season to make him worthy of the close to $4 million of cap space San Francisco is due to use on him in 2015.
Indeed, there are not many areas on the O-Line where the 49ers can make cap savings. The likely departure of guard Mike Iupati will free up money to spend elsewhere, and San Francisco will hope that one of Brandon Thomas, Marcus Martin or Joe Looney can assume the responsibilities of a left guard who is sure to command plenty of interest in the open market despite often struggling in pass protection.
The Niners could explore the possibility of cutting Jonathan Martin, whose price seems extortionate after his subpar play in reserve of Davis, and find a free agent or mid-round draft pick to assume his backup responsibilities.
However, the 49ers should be fairly happy with what they are spending on the offensive side of the trenches, and it would be a surprise to see much movement on the O-Line in that respect.
Defensive Line
6 of 9
Contracted Players: Justin Smith ($6.436 million), Tank Carradine ($1.349 million), Lawrence Okoye ($444,202), Mike Purcell ($435,00), Glenn Dorsey ($2.341 million), Ian Williams ($1.495 million), Quinton Dial ($630,413), Kaleb Ramsey ($522,050), Garrison Smith ($435,000)
Free Agents: Tony Jerod-Eddie (Exclusive Rights)
Positional Spend: $14,090,200
The Niners could be in a position to make quite a big, but undesired saving on the defensive line in the offseason.
San Francisco is due to spend over $6 million on veteran defensive lineman Justin Smith in 2015. However, at the moment it is unclear whether he will return for a 15th season in the NFL. Smith, per NFL Media's Alex Flanagan, is thought to be leaning toward retirement.
Should Smith call it a day, the Niners will have plenty of room to spend on a unit that will be primarily filled with unproven but extremely promising talent in the form of Tank Carradine and Quinton Dial.
The 49ers will have a decision to make over Ian Williams at the end of next season as his contract expires in 2016, but for now the big question surrounds whether Smith will be back and at what price. Yet regardless of what happens with the 34-year-old, D-Line is an area where the Niners figure to be adding depth, including re-signing Exclusive Rights free agent Tony-Jerod Eddie, rather than saving money.
Linebackers
7 of 9
Contracted Players: NaVorro Bowman ($7.654 million), Patrick Willis ($8.268 million), Nick Moody ($611,918), Shayne Skov ($435,000), Aldon Smith ($9.754 million), Ahmad Brooks ($7.055 million), Aaron Lynch ($559,500), Chris Borland ($694,359), Corey Lemonier ($730,880), Chase Thomas ($510,000)
Free Agents: Dan Skuta, Michael Wilhoite (Restricted), Desmond Bishop
Positional Spend: $36,272,657
The figures speak for themselves, the 49ers have more money committed to the linebacker position than anywhere else in 2015, but the numbers are likely to be much different come the start of the new season.
Aldon Smith is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is due to be the top earner in this superb core of backers. The pass-rushing specialist has more than justified his contract, despite his off-the-field concerns, with his production, and it would be no surprise to see the Niners start talks with Smith over an extension.
Smith's potential extension makes it even more unlikely that a pair of other outside backers, Ahmad Brooks and Dan Skuta, will be back with the team.
Brooks has performed well as an outside linebacker in the Niners' base 3-4 defense, but unlike Smith, his character issues should outweigh what he has displayed on the field. The former Cincinnati Bengal turned up overweight to last year's training camp, per The Press Democrat, and was involved in a spat with now head coach Jim Tomsula on the sideline in the Week 11 win over the New York Giants, per Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee.
For the price of over $7 million in cap space, it is tough to see the Niners' front office overlooking those indiscretions. Brooks seems to be an almost certain cap casualty, but whether Skuta joins him in going elsewhere will perhaps depend on how San Francisco views the roles of second-year players Chris Borland and Aaron Lynch.
Lynch excelled in pass rushing in his rookie year, but it would be something of a risky move to plug the fifth-round pick in as a three-down linebacker at this early stage in his career. Borland, meanwhile, has given the Niners the dilemma of how to get three productive inside linebackers on the field at the same time, and it could be the case that he lines up as a starter in 2015 with either Patrick Willis or NaVorro Bowman shifted to the outside.
Willis is approaching the final two years of his most recent deal with the Niners. At 30 years old and with the extremely talented Borland pushing for one of the inside backer spots, the five-time All-Pro could be a candidate for a possible contract restructure for a team in need of as much cap room as it can get.
Secondary
8 of 9
Contracted Players: Tramaine Brock ($2.79 million), Jimmie Ward ($1.61 million), Dontae Johnson ($610,316), Leon McFadden ($585,000), Keith Reaser ($551,200), Marcus Cromartie ($510,000), Kenneth Acker ($465,150), Cameron Fuller ($435,000) Antoine Bethea ($4.75 million), Eric Reid ($2.31 million), Craig Dahl ($1.93m), L.J. McCray ($512,000)
Free Agents: Chris Culliver, Perrish Cox, Chris Cook
Positional Spend: $17,071,237
For what they are paying, the 49ers are getting extremely good value of their secondary. San Francisco ranked at No. 5 in pass defense in 2014 and the main question surrounding the group is whether the 49ers will be able to re-sign two of the players that made it happen in Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox.
Culliver and Cox were both key players on the back end of the 49er defense, with the latter recording five interceptions, and will be keen to be rewarded by San Francisco. However, the Niners' lack of overall cap space probably makes it so San Francisco will only re-sign one of them.
Aside from that issue, the Niners do not have any problems to solve in terms of cap space in the secondary. The likes of Leon McFadden, Marcus Cromartie and Cameron Fuller figure to all be let go after serving as late-season fill-ins for an injury-ravaged secondary, while the highest earner, Antoine Bethea, played at a Pro Bowl level last season.
San Francisco could save $1.7m in cap space by cutting a player in backup safety Craig Dahl who has done little to justify that outlay, potentially affording the Niners more room to bring back either Culliver or Cox.
But overall the 49ers secondary is a young and cost-effective group that has plenty of potential to make strides in the 2015 campaign.
Special Teams
9 of 9
Contracted Players: Phil Dawson ($4.13 million), Andy Lee ($2.55 million)
Free Agents: Kyle Nelson
Positional Spend: $6,684,000
The 49ers have one of the better kicker and punter pairings in the NFL, but perhaps it could be time to let one of them go.
Kicker Phil Dawson is set to cost the Niners $4.13 million in cap space in 2015. The only kicker who will be more expensive to his team is Josh Scobee, who will take up $4.38 million of the cap room the Jacksonville Jaguars have to play with.
Dawson made just over 80 percent of his field goals attempted in 2014, per PFF, decent numbers but way down on the likes Adam Vinatieri, who drained 96.8 of his attempts and will cost the Colts $2.75m in cap room this coming season, and impending free agent Stephen Gostkowski of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.
It is always risky to mess around with the kicker spot. The Niners have a solid one in place, and teams suffer once it becomes apparent that their kicker is not good enough.
Yet, when you consider that cutting Dawson would save the Niners $3.13 million, then bringing in a rookie kicker to compete with him in training camp and preseason makes a lot of sense. The 49ers don't have any immediate cause for concern on special teams, but the future of Dawson is certainly something to keep an eye on.
All salary cap information, including cap savings from potential cuts, from Over The Cap.
Nicholas McGee is a San Francisco 49ers Featured Columnist based in Leeds, England. Follow him on Twitter @nicholasmcgee24.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
