How NFL’s $255.4M salary cap impacts 49ers’ 2024 free-agent decisions

The 49ers now head into the next NFL season with a little more financial wiggle room than expected. The league announced Friday that the 2024 salary cap has been set at $255.4 million per team, an increase of more than $30 million - by far the highest spike of any year since the cap was introduced in 1994. At the moment, the 49ers have one of the NFL's highest payrolls, but they're still projected to be slightly more than $4.6 million under the cap with their current active contracts. Many of the 21 free agents currently on their roster won't return, but the 49ers will make a few a priority as they decide how to allocate their money. They also can convert some of their most expensive player salaries into signing bonuses in order to manipulate their cap room - something they historically have done. Here are a few players and positions that will require a very close look from the 49ers as they attempt to set their 2024 roster under the new cap: Brandon Aiyuk Aiyuk technically is under contract through 2024, but like Nick Bosa last season and Deebo Samuel the year prior, the wide receiver likely will not step foot on the 49ers' practice field until an extension has been signed. The...