The San Francisco 49ers have had to make some difficult contract decisions this offseason, and they are leaving at least one former player feeling a bit disrespected.
In an episode of his “Third and Long” podcast, pass rusher Arik Armstead said he felt “extremely disrespected” by the offer the 49ers extended to try to keep him. Armstead said he did not feel any “animosity” toward the organization, but said he was hurt by the team’s initial offer. According to Armstead, the 49ers offered him a one-year, $6 million deal that could rise to $8 million with incentives.
“When they sent that over, I did feel extremely disrespected. I don’t feel that that level of compensation is anywhere near the type of player that I am, that I have committed to the game, what I’ve committed to my team, what I’ve committed to the organization and my community.
“I didn’t feel like that offer was anywhere near the level of compensation for a player like me.”
In taking the offer he described, Armstead would have been accepting a pay cut of roughly $11 million, as he had been making $17 million annually. He wound up signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars for $43.5 million over three years, essentially double what San Francisco offered.
Armstead is not the only player frustrated with the 49ers’ handling of contract negotiations right now. These are the costs of building a contending team and keeping the core together, and Armstead is a casualty of that.
The 30-year-old Armstead had played for the 49ers since they drafted him in 2015. He had five sacks in 12 games last season.
