49ers, Patriots Put Themselves In Position For Bountiful Offseason
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS Sports) -- Sometimes, the rich just get richer.
Even within a construct like that in the NFL -- where the combination of draft order, revenue sharing, scheduling procedures and the structure of the salary cap work as a form of economic socialism -- some teams rise above and have themselves again poised to make noise in the offseason.
More to the point: Sometimes the smart get smarter. And the good get better. They do so despite picking at the tail end of each round. Despite having rosters loaded with expensive stars during a time in which that cap has stayed shockingly flat. Despite winning division titles and thus facing better competition in the ensuing regular season.
As it stands, the team that came a few plays from winning the Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers, and a team that came a half of football away from reaching the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots, stand in position as already elite franchises that enjoy a sudden luxury of excess in terms of draft picks and/or cap space.
The two biggest transactions of the past week highlight as much. Tom Brady, now an $11.4 million-a-year quarterback at a time when Joe Flacco will get close to $20 million a year, saved New England $15 million in cap space over two years through his restructured contract, making the Patriots primed to do damage in free agency. And with the jettisoning of backup QB Alex Smith -- who was clearly not in San Francisco's short- or long-term plans -- the 49ers opened up $10 million in cap space, and also picked up two high draft picks that could be powerful trading chips should they opt to pursue a star like Darrelle Revis or Percy Harvin.
>> READ MORE from CBS Sports on the 49ers offseason prosepcts
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