The San Francisco 49ers restructured pass rusher Dee Ford's contract on Friday, creating an additional $9.5 million salary-cap room by converting his base salary into a signing bonus. That, of course, led to speculation that the team might be gearing up to make a signing.
There was also the possibility that the move was made with next year's salary cap in mind. It is, after all, expected to see a drop due to the impact of COVID-19 on this season.
General manager John Lynch indicated on Sunday that the reason for Ford's restructure was more due to the latter, saying that the 53-man roster heading into Week 1 is "pretty much set."
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"I think that move was more of a housekeeping, cap-mechanics type of a move," Lynch said during a conference call with reporters. "In terms of how long he's going to be here and what we're paying him, it's all the same. There's going to be some things coming down the line that will balance it out that don't include going and getting a big-time player.
"Our roster is pretty much set. We're always going to be looking to try to improve, but I know some people, there's been conjecture that some big move's coming as a result of that.
"You're also always building reserves. The practice squad ... it's bigger this year. You have contingencies, and hope we don't have to use them for IR.
"And then this year, there's 46-man roster and incentives that we're expecting our guys to hit, so that's why you make some of those moves. And really, more of a housekeeping thing than any big adjustment."