The San Francisco 49ers restructured linebacker Kwon Alexander's contract on November 23, 2019, according to David Lombardi of The Athletic. That was just over three weeks after he suffered a torn pectoral muscle against the Arizona Cardinals during Week 9.
Lombardi offered up some of the details on the re-done deal, and what it means for the Niners' salary-cap situation.
The restructured deal will save the 49ers just over $8 million when it comes to the team's salary-cap hit, according to Lombardi and OverTheCap.com. It does, however, push some of that money into future years. For example, his cap hits in 2021 and 2022 increase by just over $2 million per season.
| Kwon Alexander salary-cap hits | ||
| Pre-restructure | Post-restructure | |
| 2019 | $12 million | $11.36 million |
| 2020 | $13 million | $4.95 million |
| 2021 | $14.3 million | $16.52 million |
| 2022 | $14.4 million | $16.52 million |
| 2023 | – | $2.12 million |
| 2024 | – | $2.05 million |
No, Alexander is not signed through the 2024 season.
"The team added three voidable years to the contract for salary cap purposes," writes OverTheCap.com. "Alexander's contract will now void on the 5th day of the 2023 waiver period. This will make Alexander an unrestricted free agent in 2023, same as he was scheduled based on the original contract."
Alexander missed eight games due to his injury. While he was not expected to play again until the 2020 season, he returned for the playoffs and the team's Super Bowl run.
Alexander registered 34 combined tackles, 0.5 sacks, four passes defensed, an interception, and a forced fumble through eight regular-season starts in 2019. He added three tackles through San Francisco's three playoff games, including Super Bowl LIV.
Alexander's restructure, along with the restructuring of center Weston Richburg's contract, makes up a significant chunk of the 49ers' estimated $13 million in cap space. That is based on the assumption that the 2020 salary cap will be set at around $200 million per team.
Richburg's 2020 cap hit was reduced from $9 million to $4.5 million, with higher cap hits down the road.
