The San Francisco 49ers have been lauded for a quality offseason so far, making a number of key signings to address the holes on their roster.
They’ve added depth at several important positions, while also bringing in projected starters at wide receiver, linebacker, left guard, and on special teams. A big part of the praise, though, this offseason has been the contracts they’ve doled out to free agents.
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Their most notable signee, Mike Evans, came to the Bay on a three-year, $42.4 million deal that includes around $16 million in guaranteed money. Looking at the cash breakdown, it essentially is a one-year, $14 million deal with team options in 2027 and 2028, making it a very feasible contract for a player of Evans’s caliber.
Thinking about the contracts that San Francisco recently handed out, I wanted to look at the 49ers’ cap table in 2026 and see if there is any ‘bad contract’ on the books in what is shaping up to be a key year for the franchise.
Looking at the top cap hits for the 49ers this year, here are the top players and what they’re projected to count against the cap:
No. 1: Trent Williams ($46.34 million cap hit)
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No. 2: Brock Purdy ($23.71 million cap hit)
No. 3: Nick Bosa ($22.99 million cap hit)
No. 4: Fred Warner ($17.87 million cap hit)
No. 5: Osa Odighizuwa ($16.75 million cap hit)
No. 6: Brandon Aiyuk ($14.65 million cap hit)
No. 7: George Kittle ($14.15 million cap hit)
No. 8: Christian McCaffrey ($10.86 million cap hit)
No. 9: Deommodore Lenoir ($8.87 million cap hit)
No. 10: Colton McKivitz ($5.82 million cap hit)
When you look at the top cap hits for the 49ers, you do see some major ones, notably Trent Williams, but also not a lot of overwhelming numbers. Many of these players have been given extensions in the last year or two by the 49ers, so their cap hits aren’t as high, but that’s also allowed for the roster to have so many star-level talents.
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Trent Williams’s $46.34 million cap hit is quite high, as it jumped nearly $8 million after the 49ers declined his option bonus last week. But there is reported progress on an extension for the star left tackle, which should almost assuredly bring his cap hit down for the 2026 season and create even more cap space for the 49ers.
Despite signing a deal worth over $50 million annually, Brock Purdy’s cap hit for 2026 is relatively low at $23.71 million, accounting for less than eight percent of the total cap. It remains fairly low next year at $30.1 million before jumping to $56.9 million, $71.8 million, and $64.6 million in the three years after. While things could get difficult for the 49ers in those three years, Purdy’s cap hit is very manageable this season.
Similarly, Nick Bosa has a cap hit of $22.99 million this year before things jump to $54.87 million and $47.14 million over the next two years with high dead cap charges in both seasons. So, things may get difficult next year, but the 49ers are still in a great place with Bosa’s cap hit in 2026.
Fred Warner’s three-year extension signed last offseason only begins to kick in next season. He’s still going to be on the final year of his five-year contract signed back in 2021 this year, so his cap hit of $17.87 million is quite feasible. That number jumps to $29.55 million in 2027 before hitting $31.88 million and $28.48 million in 2028 and 2029 when Warner will be 32 and 33, respectively.
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Osa Odighizuwa’s deal is quite simple. He’s got $16.75 million owed to him this year and $20.5 million owed in each of the next two seasons. But there is no guaranteed money beyond this year, so the 49ers can get out of the deal at no cost should they need to next offseason.
Brandon Aiyuk’s contract isn’t off the books yet (and doesn’t need to be since the 49ers have quite a bit of cap space), but San Francisco will get even more salary-cap relief once he’s released. That money could be important to carry over into 2027 when several cap hits exponentially grow.
Apart from that, most of San Francisco’s cap numbers are quite feasible. George Kittle’s contract remains relatively similar over the next three seasons before the 49ers decide on the next path there. And most of the other contracts on the team are smaller with good structures.
To be honest, the worst contract on the team currently (apart from Williams’s huge cap hit) comes in the form of dead money with Javon Hargrave. The 49ers are still on the hook for $16.5 million in dead money with Hargrave after releasing him last offseason in what turned out to be a very poor free agency signing.
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Overall, the 49ers have nearly $40 million in dead cap charges this offseason, which ranks 13th in the NFL. But, with how they’ve structured contracts, they’ve positioned themselves really well to set up a well-rounded team in 2026 before having to make some tough decisions next offseason.
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