Report: Arik Armstead, 49ers Agree To 5-Year, $85 Million Deal
SANTA CLARA (CBS SF) -- Arik Armstead will remain with the San Francisco 49ers for the foreseeable future. Reports have it that the two parties have agreed to a five-year deal that could be worth up to $85 million. He will earn an average annual salary of $17 million. Armstead, who earned $9 million last season, was due to enter free agency.
The 49ers could have opted to use the franchise tag, which would have cost the team $17.8 million in the upcoming season. The franchise designation guarantees a player the average of the top five salaries at his position from the previous season.
In his fourth season, the defensive end tallied 10 sacks and 17 hurries and 54 tackles during a career 2019 season. He was an integral part of a dominant defense that hounded opposing quarterbacks all season long and carried the 49ers to Super Bowl LIV. Armstead and bookend defensive end Nick Bosa may be the most feared pass-rush pairing in the NFL.
Hailing from nearby Elk Grove, Armstead was a football standout at Pleasant Grove High School. He played three years at Oregon before entering the 2015 NFL Draft. The 49ers picked him with the 17 pick in the first round.
"We are very pleased to have come together with Arik and his representatives to complete this contract extension prior to free agency," said 49ers General Manager John Lynch. "Arik's physical tools and versatility have allowed him to be highly productive in our style of defense, and we look forward to watching him take his game to an even higher level as he grows within our scheme. Arik has been an impact player on the field and a difference-maker in our community, and we are excited for what the future holds for him."
The 49ers originally selected Armstead in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Throughout his five-year career, he has appeared in 62 games and registered 158 tackles, 19.0 sacks, three passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
In 2019, Armstead registered single-season career highs in tackles (54), sacks (10.0), passes defensed (two), forced fumbles (two) and fumble recoveries (one). His 10.0 sacks led the team and ranked tied for 15th in the NFL last season. He also started all three postseason contests and added eight tackles, 2.0 sacks and one forced fumble.
Off the field, Armstead founded the Armstead Academic Project, which aims to positively impact the Sacramento Public School system by serving students and providing equality. The mission of Armstead Academic Project is to ensure every student, no matter their socioeconomic status, has direct access to a quality education through a positive learning environment and resources needed in order to thrive and be successful.
