Extending record-breaking Christian McCaffrey’s contract with the 49ers is a win-win situation for both parties involved.
The superstar’s two-year, $38 million contract extension with San Francisco creates $7.4 million in 2024 salary cap space for the franchise, Per Spotrac.
A multi-year extension for the 27-year-old leaves the 49ers with roughly $31.9 million in cap space for 2024, after $18 million that Eric Armistead released I was born. San Francisco ranks seventh in the league in 51 best rooms.
How San Francisco decides to use the extra cap space remains a major story in the development. Although an increasing possibility is to cash in on a contract extension for a pivotal player like wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
McCaffrey, who will now be under contract until he turns 31, was already the highest-paid player in the NFL when the Carolina Panthers traded him to San Francisco in 2022, after he signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension in 2020.
The 49ers will have a cap hit of $19.7 million this season following McCaffrey’s deal, which came about after “respectful” conversations between his camp and the 49ers’ team officers.
The linebacker’s historic payday comes on the heels of his 2023 Offensive Player of the Year award-winning campaign, and on the 49ers’ first day of mandatory minicamp.
It’s now clear that San Francisco and McCaffrey have smooth sailing from here through 2027.
The same can’t be said for the franchise and Aiyuk, but a move like Tuesday’s brings the 49ers closer to striking distance.
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