This offseason, the San Francisco 49ers will have to make a number of difficult decisions, some of which may involve bidding farewell
to an All-Pro. San Francisco has very little money to work with, even if it is still anticipated to be within the 2024 wage ceiling.
For this reason, 49ers Nation blogger Rohan Chakravarthi has recommended that fullback Kyle Juszczyk be released. Fans now love
Juszczyk more than anyone else on Kyle Shanahan’s squad. However, in light of his contributions, his cap hit seems disproportionate.
On February 18, Chakravarthi wrote, “At the top of the list, we’ll go with the boldest option: fullback Kyle Juzczyk, who has been with
the 49ers for the entire Kyle Shanahan era.” With Juszczyk gone, the 49ers would free up $4.91 million in cap space, which may be
useful for other free agent acquisitions. Saving the five million would be a reasonable move for San Francisco, which will have to make
important salary-cap decisions this offseason because the 49ers will need to account for additional funds through the draft with their
first and second-round picks and have certain needs in free agency.
Even though the fullback position isn’t given much attention in the NFL, Juszczyk has been a valuable asset for the 49ers. The issue is
that it
A Position for Juszczyk in San Francisco
Juszczyk joined the 49ers in 2017 and has been a member of the All-Pro team for the 2023 season. He has appeared in seven straight
Pro Bowls. Even though there isn’t much competition for such awards, Juszczyk’s services are nonetheless recognized.
Although blocking is usually a fullback’s primary responsibility, Juszczyk has proven a reliable receiver. In each of his seven seasons in
San Francisco, the Harvard alum had at least 100 receiving yards and one touchdown reception.
His least statistically productive season throughout his tenure in San Francisco, nevertheless, came in 2023. According to Pro Football
Reference, he hauled in 14 catches for 119 yards and two scores. He also gained six yards on five rushes.
Again, one shouldn’t evaluate a fullback based only on their statistics. But there is a negative juxtaposition as he gets closer to turning
33 and his cap hit rises.
49ers and the Cap on Salaries
According to Spotrac, San Francisco will have roughly $570,000 in cap space available for use in the upcoming year. That is obviously
not going to suffice. Paying players they draft and maybe signing players like wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk requires their financial
stability.
Removing Juszczyk might free up that $5 million, but it’s still not enough to accomplish much. Chakravarthi included RT Colton
McKivitz, C Jake Brendel, and CB Isaiah Oliver as further potential cut candidates in his piece.
The 49ers would save an additional $9.4 million if they also decide to cut those three players. With nearly $15 million in cap space, the
49ers could cover the basics. However, it is still
To get those kind of revenue, the 49ers will likely need to restructure a number of large contracts.
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