The 49ers are currently operating with around $10 million in 2023 salary-cap space, which should offer them some flexibility for in-season maneuvers as the 2023 season approaches.
And since unused money carries over to future years, the 49ers’ current cap situation is also very much related to how they’ll navigate the crowded waters of 2024, where they already have a whopping $271.5 million in liabilities — a total that they’ll almost certainly have to trim down to fit under that season’s cap (which won’t be determined until next January at the earliest).
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So, how are the 49ers spending their limited cap space? We’ve conducted this exercise twice before, in 2020 and 2022. The 49ers’ spending allocations have evolved over that time, but some of their behaviors have clearly turned into trends that are worth examining now.
The offseason dead period is a good time to take some big-picture inventory, so here’s a position-by-position breakdown for the 49ers:
The 49ers allocate the largest portion of their budget, a whopping 27.7 percent, to the defensive line. This might come as little surprise, but that’s the biggest immediate attention-grabber.
Other notable allocations aren’t as visually obvious, but this is a zero-sum game — the pie has finite size — and they can be identified when we add more context. Below are the 49ers’ spending totals among the position groups along with the team’s rank at each one against the rest of the NFL.
2023 49ers' cap spending breakdown
| Group | Money | NFL Rank |
|---|---|---|
$16.3 | #14 | |
$15.3 | #5 | |
$22.0 | #24 | |
$23.6 | #1 | |
$43.9 | #17 | |
$66.4 | #1 | |
$23.3 | #19 | |
$23.1 | #31 | |
$5.5 | #21 |
Let’s zoom in further.
Quarterback
Players on roster: 4
Cap hit (NFL rank): $16.3 million (No. 15)
NFL average: $17.3 million
Remarkably, the 49ers have four quarterbacks — including two No. 3 picks — under contract for a cumulative cap hit of only about $16 million. Trey Lance’s $9.3 million number accounts for the majority of that; likely starter Brock Purdy checks in at a stunningly-cheap $889,253. It turns out that finding production from the very final pick of the NFL draft is hugely beneficial to a team’s books.
Back when Jimmy Garoppolo was around, the QB position accounted for about 14 percent of the 49ers’ spending. Now, that’s down to 6.8 percent — and the team may have numerous viable options at the position. That’s the 49ers’ hope a season after they had multiple capable quarterbacks but still ran out of them due to injuries.
Running back/fullback
Players on roster: 8
Cap hit (NFL rank): $15.3 million (No. 5)
NFL average: $11.2 million
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The smaller financial footprint at quarterback has allowed the 49ers to increase spending elsewhere. Up until they restructured Christian McCaffrey’s contract earlier this offseason to reduce the cap hit from $12 million to $3.4 million, the 49ers topped the entire NFL in backfield spending. Even with the 2023 reduction, the 49ers rank No. 5.
The immense success of the 49ers’ offense with McCaffrey in the fold underscored that running back is a premium position in coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense — at least relative to the rest of the league. A star player is more likely to excel within its multifaceted responsibilities, and star players typically come with a higher price tag. The same can be said of fullback, where Kyle Juszczyk’s $6.6 million cap hit is the NFL’s highest.
Wide receiver
Players on roster: 11
Cap hit (NFL rank): $22 million (No. 24)
NFL average: $28.2 million
The backloaded contract Deebo Samuel signed in 2021 has only an $8.7 million cap hit in 2022. That number balloons to $28.6 million in 2024, so the 49ers’ spending division is set to drastically change soon — especially if Brandon Aiyuk (set for a $12 million pay bump on the fifth-year option in 2024) also re-signs with the team.
But for now, the 49ers have kept a lid on spending at what can be a pricey position. And that’s at least partly possible thanks to the adaptability of their other skill positions — if running backs and tight ends can also deliver significant receiving production, money can be more efficiently spread around the offense.
Tight end
Players on roster: 6
Cap hit (NFL rank): $23.6 million (No. 1)
NFL average: $11.9 million
George Kittle’s $18 million cap hit is the highest ever for a tight end. Thanks to it, the 49ers are spending more money on this position group than any other team in the league. The rest of the room — featuring Charlie Woerner, Ross Dwelley, Troy Fumagalli and rookies Cameron Latu and Brayden Willis — comes at bargain rates.
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The 49ers would therefore love for one of those players to emerge as a truly threatening No. 2 opposite Kittle, who isn’t slated to become any cheaper (his cap hit is scheduled to grow to $19.4 million in 2024).
Offensive line
Players on roster: 16
Cap hit (NFL rank): $43.9 million (No. 17)
NFL average: $44 million
The big expenditure here comes through star left tackle Trent Williams, whose $27.2 million cap hit is the largest on the entire team. No other 49ers’ O-lineman has a 2023 cap number above $2.4 million, which belongs to center Jake Brendel. That’s a remarkable gap that’s kept the 49ers total O-line spending just a smidge below league average despite their record commitment to Williams.
Will the strategy work? Replacing Mike McGlinchey, who signed an expensive deal with Denver, with Colton McKivitz’s $1.5 million cap hit at right tackle is a move that’s illustrative of the 49ers’ philosophy — at least in the short run. They believe they can enjoy bargain-rate production from homegrown prospects. Another one of those may enter the system next year, when the 49ers are slated to have a first-round draft pick for the first time since 2021.
Defensive line
Players on roster: 16
Cap hit (NFL rank): $66.4 million (No. 1)
NFL average: $38.2 million
Yes, the 49ers’ spending on the D-line is high now, but it might grow even more come 2024. Prized free-agent signing Javon Hargrave is on a backloaded deal — his cap hits grow from $6.6 million in 2023 to $15.5 million in 2024 to $26.6 million in 2025 — and Nick Bosa is expected to sign a megadeal within the next month. Bosa’s new contract should actually lower his 2023 number of $17.9 million, since it will spread cap hits out over future years, but the 49ers’ long-term D-line liabilities will inevitably increase.
And that’s the way the 49ers operate. They believe in big D-line investment and are willing to fork out huge money to impact players. The team would certainly like to see a return to 2021 form from Arik Armstead, who was injured for much of 2022 and whose cap hit is now $23.8 million — highest on the defense.
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Signing Hargrave pushed the 49ers past Washington ($65.4 million) and Cincinnati ($63.7 million) in D-line spending. For further perspective, the fourth-place Giants are all the way down at $53.6 million.
Linebacker
Players on roster: 9
Cap hit (NFL rank): $23.3 million (No. 19)
NFL average: $26.4 million
In Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, the 49ers have arguably the best linebacker duo in football — but they rank No. 19 in total spend on the position despite the fact that both of those players are on their second contracts. The restructuring of Warner’s deal to push big cap bills into the future (his number expands from $9 million in 2023 to $25.6 million in 2024) has made this possible in the near term. Greenlaw’s deal — which seems like a bargain at a $5.5 million cap hit — has also helped, as has the team’s decision to let third linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair walk in free agency.
The 49ers are aiming to replace him with players on cheap rookie deals. They drafted two linebackers, Dee Winters and Jalen Graham, with that in mind. With the big bill about to come due at this position, it’s imperative that the 49ers perpetuate the productive cycle of linebacker development that began with their selection of Warner in 2018.
Defensive back
Players on roster: 17
Cap hit (NFL rank): $23.1 million (No. 31)
NFL average: $36.9 million
The NFL is on a spending spree in the secondary, but the 49ers are not following that trend. In 2022, the 49ers’ $23.6 million allocation to the secondary ranked No. 13. Here in 2023, their number is essentially unchanged ($23.1 million), but it now ranks No. 31 — ahead of only the Rams, who are spending only $16.2 million on DBs after trading away cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Under Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, the 49ers have signed cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Charvarius Ward to valuable contracts, so they’re not completely averse to spending here. But the team, set on its rush-over-coverage philosophy, has scrounged for bargains outside the top cornerback position and consistently spent millions more on its D-line.
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Teams like the Bills ($59.6 million in DB spending) and Seahawks ($54.5 million) operate in stark contrast to the 49ers. The key for Lynch and Co. lies in continued production from players like Talanoa Hufanga, Tashaun Gipson Sr. and Deommodore Lenoir, a trio whose cap hits average just $1.4 million. Third-round draft pick J’Ayir Brown, who’s costing the 49ers just about $981,000 this season, is another prime example of the rookie deal cap efficiency that the team is striving for in a young secondary that’ll be paired with that big-money D-line.
Special teams
Players on roster: 4
Cap hit (NFL rank): $5.5 million (No. 21)
NFL average: $6.5 million
Rookie kicker Jake Moody’s 2023 cap number is only about $964,000, which has opened up money that the 49ers didn’t have when they were paying Robbie Gould. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky ($1.8 million) and long-snapper Taybor Pepper ($1.2 million) are both pricier, but neither of those contracts is breaking the bank and the 49ers are also expected to recoup some money once they jettison kicker Zane Gonzalez’s $1.5 million hit.
At that point, in fact, the 49ers’ total special teams bill of about $4 million will rank No. 29 in the NFL. They’ve streamlined costs in the room. Will it be worth it? Well, that depends on Moody’s leg.
(Top photo of Nick Bosa: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
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