In fact, according to NEXT GEN STATS, Armstead has been among the most versatile DL in the NFL, rushing the passer from the edge and interior at a near-even rate last season, although Armstead was more effective as a pass rusher from the interior (9.1% pressure rate) than from edge alignment (6.5%).
When you factor in the versatility factor, I think the 49ers feel that Armstead’s impact is just as significant as Buckner’s. And let’s be clear, Jack, Armstead and DeFo play two very different roles on the 49ers DL when they are playing in their intended roles. The 49ers have a business to run though, and sometimes they have to make these kinds of tough financial decisions.Īnd I think the choice between Buckner and Armstead was a sound choice, because Armstead’s versatility was major factor, it wasn’t only about the money. I am sure the situation was bittersweet for both the 49ers and DeFo as well. They simply weren’t willing to pay Buckner what they knew he was worth, so they traded him the Colts, who were more than willing to pay him what he was worth. Had the 49ers used Armstead’s contract structure to keep Buckner along with Jimmie Ward, Fred Warner, and Trent Williams the total spend would have been $45.3 million against the salary cap. The total spend for Arik Armstead, Jimmie Ward, Fred Warner, and Trent Williams whom San Francisco acquired via a trade with Washington has been $47 million against the 2020-21 salary cap. Had the 49ers offered Buckner the same extension as he eventually received from Indianapolis while using the structure they eventually gave Armstead to manipulate the salary cap the 49ers would have been able to keep a proven team leader and All-Pro, along with making all of the moves they made to bring back their core. This isn’t anything new, agents want to pump up the perceived value of contracts for their clients all of the time. The reports of Buckner’s extension failed to mention that the new deal was actually an extension of the rookie contract with the 49ers, which meant it was actually 5-years, $96.378 million with and average annual value of slightly under $19.3 million. There was no way they could have kept all of there own players and also paid a defensive tackle $21 million per year, Armstead did the team a favor by saving them $4 million per year and giving the 49ers salary cap relief.
The feeling that San Francisco had made the right choice only gained more traction when the team announced they had re-signed Arik Armstead to a 5-year, $85 million contract. After all, they had to find a way to re-sign Jimmie Ward, and there were big contracts on the horizon for George Kittle and Fred Warner. The general reaction to the new deal was it now made sense for the 49ers to have moved on. Shortly after the trade was consummated, reports came out that Buckner had signed a 4-year, $84 million deal with the Colts. The 49ers would eventually trade back one spot on draft day with Tampa Bay and use the 14th selection on defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. San Francisco would eventually decide to move on from Buckner, trading him to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the 13th selection in the 2020 NFL draft. The team had a number of starters with contracts that would be expiring and there were going to be some tough decisions made on who would stay and who would go. As the 2019 season began to wind down there were a number of question marks about how the 49ers would manage the salary cap going forward.
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