While this move will raise jimmie Ward's 2022 cap figure, it gives the 49ers some additional flexibility going into this season. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

49ers restructure Jimmie Ward’s deal

Originally posted on Pro Football Rumors
By Sam Robinson | Last updated 9/10/21

Entering Friday at the bottom of the NFL in cap space, the 49ers moved back toward the middle of the pack with one move. They redid safety Jimmie Ward‘s deal, creating nearly $6 million in cap room, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

San Francisco carried less than $1 million in space, per OverTheCap, before this move. The 49ers moved around $7.8 million of Ward’s 2021 salary into a bonus, creating approximately $5.85 million in cap room, per Yates. This slides the 49ers up to 16th in cap space going into Week 1.

This marks the first Ward restructure. The former first-round pick re-signed with the 49ers last year, doing so after a lengthy stretch without a long-term deal. Ward played out his rookie contract, which included a fifth-year option season, and re-signed to stay in San Francisco on a one-year deal in 2019. After Ward played a key role for the NFC champion 49ers defense that season, he received a three-year, $28.5 million offer. That deal initially called for an $8.4 million base salary this season. That number is now much lower.

While this move will raise Ward’s 2022 cap figure, it gives the 49ers some additional flexibility going into this season.

This article first appeared on Pro Football Rumors and was syndicated with permission.

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