49ers restructure Christian McCaffrey’s contract to create $8.57 million in cap space

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the 49ers restructured running back Christian McCaffrey’s contract to create $8.576 in salary cap space. The 49ers had roughly $2.1 million in cap space before McCaffrey’s restructure.

McCaffrey was the logical candidate when you go through the top 49ers contracts. The team only owed CMC his base salary. Now, the Niners are up to about $10 million total in cap space. That’ll allow them to sign their draft class and make any potential moves in-season.

San Francisco has 11 picks this weekend. A trade up feels like a lock, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be as early as the third round, or sooner. Even with the additional cap space, signing 11 draft picks isn’t feasible.

It’ll be fascinating to see how the 49ers maneuver during the NFL Draft and which positions and players they value based on how their perceived roster needs are from the outside looking in.