The 49ers have a dilemma on their defensive line.
It’s the strength of the team and the 49ers would like to keep it together, but Arik Armstead will be a free agent next month seeking a big payday, and he’s a key defensive lineman. Can the 49ers keep him?
“Arik is an excellent player,” John Lynch said. “He had an excellent year. We want to find a way to keep him and make him a part of the 49ers for a long time.”
If there were no salary cap, the 49ers would sign Armstead long term, no problem. But there is cap, and the 49ers currently have less than $13 million in cap space. Re-signing Armstead won’t be easy or cheap, and might not be prudent, either.
The 49ers drafted Armstead with a first-round pick in 2015 and developed him the past five years until he finally blossomed in 2019 and recorded a team-high 10 sacks. He was terrific.
But he was not terrific the first four seasons of his career. He recorded only nine sacks from 2015 to 2018 — that’s why the 49ers didn’t give him a long-term contract extension last year. They gave him a one-year deal instead.
Why did Armstead take so long to play well and fulfill his potential? Did he raise his game during a contract year to earn a big extension as so many pro athletes have done before him? And will he revert to the player he was before 2019 after
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