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June 1st has finally arrived. It may be an ordinary day, but in the football world, it is a very important day, because post-June 1st NFL roster additions and cuts can be made with favorable cap implications.
Teams can now spread the "dead money" charge incurred from cutting a player over the course of two years, rather than one year, helping franchises with a lesser amounts of cap space.
Last Tuesday, during his press conference, Kyle Shanahan confirmed the long-held belief that center Weston Richburg was retiring due to injuries instead of returning to the 49ers in 2021.
Richburg was drafted in the second round by the New York Giants in the 2014 NFL Draft. In 2018, Richburg signed with the 49ers on a five-year, $47.5 million deal.
The center missed all of 2020 due to hip and knee injuries, and has had three surgeries, on his shoulder, knee, and hip, which likely attributed to his early retirement.
The Athletic's Dave Lombardi pointed out that Richburg's retirement post-June 1st will save the 49ers $1.075 million in cap space for the 2021 season, while also saving $3.5 million in dead cap space.
In addition, the move will free up necessary cap space in 2022, as $9.15 million will come off the books with Richburg's retirement.
While an official statement hasn't come out regarding Richburg's retirement, due to the salary-cap implications, Shanahan's statement practically confirms that the move will happen, which will leave the 49ers with extra cap room for a potential
Fred Warner extension.
In a corresponding move, the 49ers signed linebacker James Burgess, who will officially sign a contract sometime this week, once the Weston Richburg retirement becomes official.
However, there is not a clear spot for him yet on the 53-man roster, as the linebacker corps is one of the deeper position groups for the 49ers with Fred Warner,
Dre Greenlaw, Azeez Al-Shaair, Demetrius Flanagan-Fowles, undrafted rookie Justin Hilliard, and newly signed veteran Nathan Gerry.
Still, Burgess has experience, playing with the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Green Bay Packers from 2017-2020.
Expect an official statement regarding the two moves any time after the 1pm PT deadline today.
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
Analyst Dane Brugler recently revealed his seven-round mock draft for The Athletic, forecasting all 257 selections in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, set to kick off next week.
"Piecing together a mock like this is time consuming, but I enjoy the exercise, because it allows me to focus on each team's needs, organizational trends and prospect-team pairings that make sense based on '30' visits, league buzz and overall interest," Brugler wrote.
Most expect the 49ers to address the trenches early in the draft, and Brugler has the team doing that. It's just not on the offensive side of the football. In fact, Brugler doesn't have San Francisco
