49ers re-structure Ray McDonald's contract, per Tom Pelissero

Amidst all the insanity of Friday afternoon, we got some intriguing news. USA TODAY Sports' Tom Pelissero tweeted out that the San Francisco 49ers had cleared some cap space by restructuring Ray McDonald 's contract.

#49ers cleared some more cap space today by restructuring Ray McDonald's contract. Not an extension. NFLPA had them $9.6M under entering day

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 29, 2014

I am not seeing a change yet in the NFLPA salary database, so we do not know the specifics. Jason Hurley speculated it might involve McDonald decreasing his base salary from $3.5 million to the league minimum. We'll have to wait and see specifically what it ends up being.

In the meantime, it has gotten people wondering what it means for the 49ers contract plans. Are they closing in on a contract extension with Michael Crabtree? Could Alex Boone be re-joining the team soon? The team could simply elect to roll the cap space over, but given that Ray McDonald is likely on the back side of his career with the 49ers, that would seem a little bit odd.

The 49ers have to cut down to their 53-man roster by 1 p.m. PT on Saturday. Currently, the NFLPA salary cap report has the 49ers at $9.6 million under the cap. However, when they cut down to the 53-man roster, they will have to have their entire roster under the cap. That includes the 53-man roster, as well as players on PUP, NFI, IR, and the practice squad. I suppose the team could decide they need a little extra space to protect themselves, but hopefully it means they are closing in on a new deal for one of their current players.