The San Francisco 49ers formally add $2,727,000 in dead money to their salary cap on Friday. Wide receiver Anquan Boldin signed a five-year deal two years ago, but the final three years were set to void as soon as the deal was signed. He will become a free agent on March 9 when the new league year starts.
Teams create dummy years in a variety of ways, which allows them to spread out the signing bonus cap hit. Boldin received a signing bonus of $4,545,000, prorated for $909,000 per year. The final three years will roll up to make up the $2,727,000 in dead money.
It is worth noting that Jason Hurley had already factored that dead money into the 49ers projected 2016 cap space. Even with the dead money, the 49ers are looking at approximately $54 million in cap space. Not too shabby heading into a big offseason.
Boldin has said he wants to return to the 49ers, but he also is holding off for once things quiet down. He has spent three years in San Francisco, and seems to enjoy the community. However, whether or not he wants to stay, the 49ers might be prepared to move on and get younger. Do you think Boldin will be back in 2016? If not, where do you think he might land?