Report: 49ers Sign Arik Armstead to Five-Year, $85 Million Deal

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has reported that the San Francisco 49ers are signing defensive lineman Arik Armstead to a five-year, $85 million deal.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has reported that the San Francisco 49ers are signing defensive lineman Arik Armstead to a five-year, $85 million deal. 

The #49ers are giving star DL Arik Armstead a 5-year deal, sources say, avoiding the franchise tag and locking him up long-term. He gets up to $85M on his new deal.💰💰💰

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2020

This news comes a day after Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported that the two sides were making "significant headway" on a multi-year deal. 

Now it becomes crystal clear that the two sides will be locked in for the foreseeable future. The 49ers had been more than outspoken about their desire to retain Armstead. They weighed the possibility of franchise tagging him, but knew they wanted him for the long-term.

Even Armstead wanted to stay with the team by saying he "wouldn't mind" being franchise tagged. How many players openly say that when they know they can cash out? Not many.

Armstead was the leader in sacks for the 49ers with 10 and was a pivotal player in the defensive front. He forced 72 pressures last season and won 18% of his pass rushes, which was 14th among edge rushers per Pro Football Focus.

There was just no way the Niners were going to allow him to hit the market. Now $85 million does seem like a lot for a franchise with such little salary-cap space. However, it may be an indicator that the 49ers are back-loading his deal since the salary-cap is supposed to rise from the newly ratified CBA in 2021.

None of the specifics and details about Armstead's contract are out yet, so it is worth to watch. The guarantees are what matter most in this. As for annual salary, it looks like he is getting around $17 million according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Not a bad price for a guy who can play inside-and-out on the defensive line.