Earlier this year, the expectation was that the salary cap might see a record increase next year, thanks to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and the potential revenue from new television contracts.
No one expects that now.
In fact, teams are bracing for the potential of a salary cap decrease. That could be why players like tight end George Kittle haven't been signed to a long-term contract yet. The prudent San Francisco 49ers can't lock him up without knowing how it will impact future salary caps.
Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston recently warned that, in a worst-case scenario, the cap could drop from $198 million this year to as low as $130 million. Of course, that would be under the absolutely worst possible situation, which would likely involve canceled games this season.
That, obviously, would send the league into a frenzy as teams scramble to figure out how to manage their rosters under a massive decrease. The more likely scenario would be the NFL borrowing money from future salary caps to lessen the impact moving forward.
To give you a picture of where the 49ers stand, salary cap-wise, David Lombardi of The Athletic recently broke down the team's roster expenses by position group. He did so using data publicly available from salary cap sites Over The Cap and Spotrac.
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| QB | $27.7M | $27.7M | $27.9M |
| RB/FB | $17.6M | $5.9M | $2.7M |
| WR/TE | $14.8M | $13.1M | $9.6M |
| OL | $35.0M | $27.7M | $14.2M |
| DL | $47.9M | $48.0M | $54.4M |
| LB | $7.4M | $22.7M | $18.6M |
| DB | $33.8M | $17.9M | $14.3M |
| ST | $7.0M | $7.4M | $7.0M |
| Total | $194.7M | $170.4M | $148.7M |
Below are the 49ers players who are slated to count the most against the salary cap in 2021, according to Spotrac.
- Jimmy Garoppolo, $26.9M
- Dee Ford, $17.6M
- Kwon Alexander, $16.52M
- Arik Armstead, $12.5M
- Weston Richburg, $11.4M
- Jimmie Ward, $11.0M
Lombardi went on to break down the 49ers roster by position group and looked at how the current player contracts will impact future salary caps. Click here to read his entire feature over at The Athletic.
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
Analyst: 49ers offense the 'most dangerous' in the NFC West
Few are picking the San Francisco 49ers to win the NFC West in 2026. After all, the Los Angeles Rams enter the season as Super Bowl favorites, while the Seattle Seahawks are the defending NFC West champions. Still, one NFL Network analyst believes the 49ers boast the... -
Former 49ers star says 'rest in peace' to Brandon Aiyuk's NFL career
Brandon Aiyuk has targeted just about everyone on social media this offseason—the San Francisco 49ers, his former agent, the NFL Players Association, and even his friend, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. Now, one former 49ers standout believes Aiyuk may have... -
49ers QB Brock Purdy lands surprising spot in 2026 fantasy football rankings
Where does San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy rank among the NFL's top fantasy football quarterbacks entering the 2026 season? NFL Media's Dan Parr released his fantasy football quarterback rankings for NFL.com, organizing the league's top signal-callers into draft... -
49ers' Brock Purdy left out of ESPN's top-10 quarterback rankings
The debate over where San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy ranks among the NFL's elite continues. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler continued his annual NFL position rankings this week, unveiling his list of the league's top quarterbacks. The rankings are based on feedback from NFL...