After nine seasons, Arik Armstead will play somewhere other than San Francisco in 2024. The veteran defensive lineman is slated to be released after he and the 49ers were unable to agree on a restructured contract, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. The two sides were close, but Armstead reportedly declined a significant pay cut. He was set to make $17.41 million in the upcoming season
Armstead was entering the final year of a five-year, $85 million contract he signed in March of 2020. He was going to have $17.41 million base salary and a $28.35 million cap hit.
Instead of returning to San Francisco, Armstead is going to enter free agency with the league’s legal tampering period starting Monday. Armstead should have a pretty robust market given his success with the 49ers.
The 30-year-old Sacramento native played in 128 games with the 49ers that included 12 playoff games. He made 109 starts over that span while helping San Francisco capture NFC titles in 2019 and in 2023.
So far, Armstead has amassed 33.5 career sacks that included a career-high 10 sacks in 2019. He also has 302 career tackles (43 for loss), three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Last season, Armstead recorded five sacks and was 10th in the NFL among defensive tackles in pass rush wins, according to ESPN Analytics.
One team that may be interesting in signing Armstead are the Cincinnati Bengals, who may have to replace D.J. Reader, who like Armstead is slated to hit free agency this week.
