49ers Negotiated Pay Cut With OL Spencer Burford

Burford is set to make a $1.265 million base salary. He also has up to $510,000 in per-game active roster bonuses and another $500,00 bonus that is guaranteed. 

The fourth-year lineman had qualified for the NFL’s Proven Performance Escalator due to how much he played in his first three seasons, including 29 starts in his first two years. That raised his base salary to around $3.4 million for this upcoming season. 

However, the PPE is not guaranteed, meaning it can work against some players competing for roster spots. It often leads to teams forcing players to take a pay cut in exchange for some job security, and that’s what happened here. 

Burford, 25, was drafted by the 49ers with the No. 134 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of UT-San Antonio. He signed a four-year, $4,332,056 rookie contract that included a $840,070 signing bonus. 

In 2024, Burford appeared in 15 games for the 49ers with no starts.