Elvis Dumervil's Contract Option Won't Be Picked Up by 49ers

Elvis Dumervil's time with the San Francisco 49ers was short, as the team announced Friday it will not pick up the defensive end's option for 2018.

San Francisco general manager John Lynch thanked Dumervil for his contributions in a statement:

"I want to thank Elvis for everything he contributed to our team last year both on the field and throughout our building. Not only did he bring a great deal of veteran leadership to our locker room at a time of significant change, but he provided a spark to our defense. Although Elvis isn't in our current plans, we would never close the door on a potential return in the future. As a longtime friend, I wish him and his family well."

The option would have paid the veteran a salary of $2.75 million, per Spotrac.

Parting ways with the 5'11", 250-pound end will take away a big part of San Francisco's pass rush.

Even at 33 years old, Dumervil led the team with 6.5 sacks in 2017. No other Niner had more than three last year, and only five teams had fewer than San Francisco's 30.

The five-time Pro Bowler is no longer the player he once was, but the 2009 NFL sack leader showed he can still get after the quarterback. His career sack total of 105.5 speaks for itself.

San Francisco may not have wanted to pay the aging defensive lineman, but now it must find a way to replace its biggest pass-rushing threat. As for Dumervil, he still has the ability to get into opposing backfields and should draw interest from teams that look to create pressure on passing downs.