The San Francisco 49ers are heading into offseason mode, having recently lost the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs, meaning it's time to start breaking down the roster for the upcoming season.
With free agency coming up next month, one way the 49ers could look to free up money is by cutting players as cap casualties, and there are four realistic candidates that could get cut this offseason.
Here are my four potential cut candidates for the 49ers.
FB Kyle Juszczyk
At the top of the list, we’ll go with the boldest option: fullback Kyle Juzczyk, who has been with the 49ers for the entire Kyle Shanahan era.
Juzczyk will be entering Year 4 of his five-year, $27 million extension signed back in March of 2021, and has a cap hit of $7.588 million this offseason.
However, the fullback’s contract was structured to have an out after the first three years, as that’s where all the guaranteed money was allocated.
Now, the 49ers could move off Juszczyk and save $4.91 million in cap space, which could be crucial for other moves in free agency.
Facing crucial salary-cap decisions this offseason, as the 49ers will have some needs in free agency, while also needing to account for extra money via the draft with their first and second-round pick, saving the five million would be a realistic choice for San Francisco.
I don’t believe Juszczyk will return to the 49ers on his current contract, but that doesn’t mean a return will be ruled out.
With his affinity for the organization, as well as the continued lack of fullback usage across the NFL, Juszczyk could go for a cheaper deal with the 49ers entering his age-33 season, keeping him in San Francisco at a more reasonable rate.
But, shouldering a $7.588 million cap hit for a fullback when it’s easy to move off that deal seems like the ideal move.
CB Isaiah Oliver
This move seems more like a formality.
It was heavily implied that cornerback Isaiah Oliver was a Steve Wilks suggestion when the 49ers signed him last offseason, and the move turned out to be disappointing, as the veteran was benched for Ambry Thomas and couldn’t carve out a major role on the team.
Additionally, Wilks has now been fired, making it even more likely that Oliver will hit free agency this offseason.
Oliver was signed to a two-year, $6.75 million deal last offseason, but the move was essentially a one-year deal, as all the $2.91 million in guaranteed money was distributed in Year 1.
Now, Oliver faces a cap hit of $3.866 million, but the 49ers can save $2.4 million by releasing him, generating some extra cash for their offseason plans.
C Jake Brendel
After earning a starting spot in 2022, the 49ers re-signed Jake Brendel to a four-year, $20 million deal last offseason. So, why is he on a “potential cut candidates” list one year later?
Well, I wasn’t a big advocate for Brendel last offseason, as there were several starting-caliber center options that were better for the 49ers in the $5-6 million range annually.
Unfortunately, a majority of those options returned to their respective teams, leaving San Francisco empty-handed, leading them to retain Brendel.
One offseason later, the 49ers find themselves in a similar situation, as there are a plethora of centers available on the market, and San Francisco needs to upgrade, making Brendel expendable.
While it was a four-year contract, the 49ers guaranteed only $4.49 million at signing, which was distributed in the first year of the deal, making it possible to move off him this offseason.
Now, this may be a possible post-June 1st move, as the 49ers would save $3.48 million, while only incurring a $682,000 dead cap hit in 2024 and a $2.046 million dead cap hit in 2025.
This move is far from a guarantee, as the 49ers don’t have an option-in-waiting to replace Brendel, but is certainly possible with a robust center market available, which the 49ers should look into.
Colton McKivitz
Like Brendel, the 49ers handed out a contract to Colton McKivitz last offseason, settling him in for two years and $4.56 million ahead of his first year as a starter.
Well, McKivitz looked as you’d expect him to look; serviceable, but not a starting-caliber player, and the 49ers should explore all avenues to get a better option this offseason.
Now, McKivitz only had $1.87 million in total guarantees on his deal, making him potentially expendable this offseason.
If the 49ers move on, they’d only incur a dead cap hit of $584,000, while saving $1.934 million in a cost-cutting move.
However, swing tackles are hard to find in the NFL, and I could see the 49ers placing McKivitz in that role in 2024 at a cheaper cost, keeping him for the final year of his current contract.
If they do prefer another option though, McKivitz could be a cap casualty as well.
