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Breaking down the 49ers rookie contracts with the 2014 NFL Draft class fully signed

The San Francisco 49ers have signed all 12 members of their 2014 NFL Draft class. We take a look at the contract info.

By David Fucillo
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco 49ers have officially locked up their entire 2014 draft class. The 49ers announced Thursday afternoon that they had agreed to terms on a four-year contract with center Marcus Martin. That gives them 12 rookies under contract before the first set of OTAs is even finished. This comes courtesy of the rookie salary scale, which removes the holdouts of the past.

Given that the rookie wage scale is fairly settled, our friends at Over the Cap are able to provide some contract estimates. When first reporting on each contract, I used their rookie pool info. In this follow-up article, I've updated some of the numbers with the help of Jason at Niner Cap Hell. The yearly numbers don't change, but the structure is a bit different. Jimmie Ward and Carlos Hyde have roster or workout bonuses in their contracts to make up the salary OTC provided. I don't have those numbers yet for Marcus Martin since he only recently signed.

The 49ers large rookie class does not have the same salary cap impact now as it will when the 49ers cut down to their 53-man roster. As it currently stands, the salary cap numbers are based on the Top 51 salaries. The way the rule plays out, after the top 51 contracts, a rookie's base salary (generally league minimum) will not count against the cap during the Top 51 period. Their signing bonus proration and any bonuses would count against the Top 51 cap.

As an example, Jimmie Ward has a first year base salary of $420,000. His cap figure for 2014 is $1,293,187 because his signing bonus prorates to $873,187 per year. For the Top 51 period, only the prorated $873,187 would count against the cap.

It is of course important to note that once we reach the first day of the 2014 regular season, his entire contract counts against the cap, as does every other contract on the 53-man roster, practice squad, IR, PUP list and NFI list. The 49ers will keep most of these players on their roster, but it is worth noting that the odds are not good that all 12 players make the roster. If any end up making the practice squad, their 2014 cap hit would then be their practice squad salary (significantly less than the 53-man minimum) and dead money from their signing bonus.

Below is a table with the cash due each season and the cap hit for each rookie. For most of the players, it's simple base salary plus pro-rated signing bonus. There are a couple exceptions. Jimmie Ward's 2017 salary consists of $690,000 in base salary plus $699,888 in a roster bonus that is likely split over the 16 game schedule.

Carlos Hyde earns the league minimum in 2014, but in 2015 he gets a $50,000 workout bonus, and in 2016 and 2017 he has a pair of $100,000 workout bonuses.

I've posted the table, and then below that I figured I would drop in the tweets the 49ers sent out featuring the players signing their contracts with the quill pen. Kaleb Ramsey is the only player to not have a picture.

Fooch's Update: Matt Maiocco has some info on the guaranteed money for Ward and Hyde. The first three years of Ward's contract are fully guaranteed. The first two years of Hyde's contract are fully guaranteed.

Player Signing Bonus 2014 Salary Cap Hit 2015 Salary Cap Hit 2016 Salary Cap Hit 2017 Salary Cap Hit
Jimmie Ward $3,492,748 $420,000 $1,293,187 $743,296 $1,616,483 $1,066,592 $1,939,779 $1,389,888 $2,263,075
Carlos Hyde $997,584 $420,000 $669,396 $587,349 $836,745 $754,698 $1,004,094 $922,047 $1,171,443
Marcus Martin $671,252 $420,000 $587,813 $551,900 $719,713 $654,000 $821,813 $761,200 $929,013
Chris Borland $617,436 $420,000 $574,359 $540,000 $694,359 $630,000 $784,359 $720,000 $874,359
Brandon Thomas $506,016 $420,000 $546,504 $510,000 $636,504 $600,000 $726,504 $690,000 $816,504
Bruce Ellington $474,428 $420,000 $538,607 $510,000 $628,607 $600,000 $718,607 $690,000 $808,607
Dontae Johnson $400,540 $420,000 $520,135 $510,000 $610,135 $600,000 $700,135 $690,000 $790,135
Aaron Lynch $198,000 $420,000 $469,500 $510,000 $559,500 $600,000 $649,500 $690,000 $739,500
Keith Reaser $164,800 $420,000 $461,200 $510,000 $551,200 $600,000 $641,200 $690,000 $731,200
Kenneth Acker $120,600 $420,000 $450,150 $510,000 $540,150 $600,000 $630,150 $690,000 $720,150
Kaleb Ramsey $48,200 $420,000 $432,050 $510,000 $522,050 $600,000 $612,050 $690,000 $702,050
Trey Millard $47,148 $420,000 $431,787 $510,000 $521,787 $600,000 $611,787 $690,000 $701,787
Total Cap Hit: $6,974,688 Total Cap Hit: $8,437,233 Total Cap Hit: $9,839,978 Total Cap Hit: $11,247,823

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