49ers roster cuts 2014: C.J. Spillman release saves $1.225 million in cap space

The San Francisco 49ers are cutting down from 75 players to 53 players, and one of the first real surprises was the release of special teamer C.J. Spillman. It was not a stunning move, but it at least caught me off guard. Spillman had an up and down preseason, and this move certainly shows past performance is not always enough to maintain a roster spot.

The decision to release Spillman will save the 49ers at least $1.225 million in cap space. Spillman was going to represent a cap hit of $1,558,334 if he made the roster. $1.225 million of it was his base salary, $308,334 was prorated signing bonus money, and $25,000 was a workout bonus. Since this is a post-June 1 cut, I actually think his $308,334 is actually split between 2014 and 2015, but I'm not positive about that. I will wait to see what Jason Hurley has to say.

Whatever the case with the $308,334, the 49ers are still saving a sizable chunk in just the base salary. The team entered today with $9.6 million in cap space. That is just based on the Top 51 players on the roster, so their real cap space is less than that. Jason Hurley will have a full rundown later, but in the meantime, we know they've just added a little bit more space to that number.