49ers rank 26th in “Salary Cap Health” over the next 3 years

The San Francisco 49ers will have a few roster decisions to make after this season. It won’t be long until Nick Bosa is the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, and possibly history.

But the team may be forced to decide between a couple of their top-end players, including Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. The one position that ties up the bulk of a team’s salary cap, quarterback, isn’t an issue for the Niners and shouldn’t be for another year or two.

Pro Football Focus went through each team and evaluated their current salary cap situations, with key factors such as top 51 veteran valuations, rookie contract players, 2023 free agent projections, total prorated money, and projected effective cap space.

For the 49ers, they found themselves No. 26 on the list, which would be troubling if it weren’t for a loaded roster that’s projected to win every game next season:

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS — RANK: 26

The 49ers often get dragged down this list because of the best problem there is in football: They constantly have good internal talent that needs to be extended at the top of the market. Edge defender Nick Bosa is the culprit this time around, perhaps getting ready to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

What really matters is that San Francisco ranks eighth in top 51 veteran valuation despite starting quarterback Brock Purdy not landing in the top 51 because his Mr. Irrelevant contract is nowhere near the cut-off. This roster is a juggernaut once again, and some better injury luck down the stretch could finally catapult them to an elusive Super Bowl victory.

Contracts for Arik Armstead, Aiyuk, Fred Warner, Deebo, and Charvarius Ward balloon next year, but that’s only a handful of players on a 53-man roster.

Judging by the recent blockbuster extensions given out by the 49ers, Bosa’s cap number won’t spike until the third year of his contract. Considering the “juggernaut” level roster, it makes sense that the Niners are near the bottom of this salary cap analysis. The difference between the 49ers and the other teams near the bottom of the article are their top-level players produce.

Here’s a look at the teams listed below San Francisco:

Ravens
Seahawks
Buccaneers
Rams
Raiders
Saints

One similarity is the dead money that the teams listed above. The 49ers have $17 million in dead money, as they’re still paying Dee Ford $8.5 million and Jimmie Ward $6.398 in 2023. But they’re not in the same tax bracket as Los Angeles. The Rams are paying over $74 million in dead money.