How the 49ers Spend Their Dollars: From Nick Bosa’s D-line to Brock Purdy’s QB Room

The 49ers are currently running about $10 million in salary cap space for 2023, which should give them some flexibility in off-season maneuvers heading into the 2023 season.

And since unused money carries over into future years, the 49ers’ current cap situation is also largely tied to how they navigate the crowded waters of 2024, as they already have a whopping $271.5 million in commitments — which is the total they’ll get. You’ll almost certainly have to downsize it to fit that season’s cap (which won’t be set until next January at the earliest).

So how do the 49ers spend their limited cap space? We’ve had this exercise twice before, in 2020 and 2022. The 49ers’ spending allotments have evolved over that time, but clearly some of their behaviors have morphed into trends worth examining now.

The off-season dead period is a good time to take some big-picture stock, so here’s a position-by-position ranking of the 49ers:

The 49ers allocate the bulk of their budget, a whopping 27.7 percent, to the defensive line. This may not come as a surprise, but this is the biggest draw to attention.

Other notable customizations aren’t visually obvious, but this is a zero-sum game—the pie has a finite size—and they can be identified when we add a little more context. Here are the 49 players’ spending totals between the position groups along with the team’s ranking in each one versus the rest of the NFL.

Let’s zoom in even more.

quarterback

players in the list: 4
cover hit (NFL rank): $16.3 million (No. 15)
NFL Average: $17.3 million

Significantly, the 49ers have four quarterbacks — including two No. 3 picks — under contract for a cumulative cap of only about $16 million. Tre Lance’s $9.3 million figure is the majority of that; Newbie Brock Purdy will likely sign on at a surprisingly cheap $889,253. Finding production from the final pick of the NFL draft turns out to be extremely beneficial to the team’s books.

Back when Jimmy Garoppolo was around, the QB position accounted for about 14 percent of the 49ers’ spending. Now, that’s down to 6.8 percent — and the team may have several viable options for the position. This is the 49ers’ hope for the season after they had several capable quarterbacks but ran out of them due to injuries.

running back/defender

players in the list: 8
cover hit (NFL rank): $15.3 million (No. 5)
NFL average: $11.2 million

The quarterback’s smaller financial footprint has allowed the 49ers to spend more elsewhere. Until they restructured Christian McCaffrey’s contract earlier this season to reduce his $12 million cap to $3.4 million, the 49ers topped the NFL’s total in back spending. Even with the 2023 cut, the 49ers are ranked No. 5.

The 49ers’ offense against McCaffrey’s massive success in the barn confirmed that the running back is an excellent center on coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense—at least for the rest of the league. A star player is more likely to excel in their multifaceted responsibilities, and elite players usually come at a higher price. The same can be said of linebacker, with Kyle Juszczyk making an NFL-high $6.6 million.

wide future

players in the list: 11
cover hit (NFL rank): $22 million (No. 24)
NFL Average: $28.2 million

Deebo Samuel’s contract, signed in 2021, is only $8.7 million in 2022. That balloons to $28.6 million in 2024, so the 49ers’ spending department is set to change drastically soon — especially if Brandon Ayuk ( He is set for a $12 million bump (paying a fifth-year option in 2024) also re-signs with the team.

But for now, the 49ers have kept a lid on spending at what can be an expensive center. This is possible at least in part thanks to the ability to adapt to their other skill positions—if running backs and tight ends can also deliver great receiving production, then money can be distributed more efficiently around the offense.

tight end

players in the list: 6
cover hit (NFL rank): $23.6 million (No. 1)
NFL Average: $11.9 million

George Kettle’s $18 million hit is the highest ever for a tight end. Thanks to that, the 49ers spend more money on this position group than any other team in the league. The rest of the room — which includes Charlie Warner, Ross Doyley, Troy Fumagalli, and rookies Cameron Lato and Brayden Willis — comes at bargain prices.

So, the 49ers would love to have one of those players emerge as the real #2 threat against Kittle, who wasn’t destined to get any cheaper (it’s set to rise to $19.4 million in 2024).

offensive line

players in the list: 16
cover hit (NFL rank): $43.9 million (No. 17)
NFL average: $44 million

The big expense here comes from star left tackle Trent Williams, whose $27.2 million cap is the largest on the entire team. The 49ers’ O-lineman doesn’t have a 2023 cap number higher than $2.4 million, which belongs to center Jake Brendel. This is a notable gap that has kept the 49ers’ total O-line spending just below the league average despite their record commitment to Williams.

Will the strategy succeed? Replacing Mike McGlinchey, who signed an expensive deal with Denver, with $1.5 million cap Colton McKivitz at right tackle is a move that illustrates the 49ers’ philosophy — at least in the short term. They believe they can enjoy bargain-priced production from domestic prospects. Another one of those may enter the system next year, when the 49ers are scheduled to have a first-round draft pick for the first time since 2021.

defense line

players in the list: 16
cover hit (NFL rank): $66.4 million (No. 1)
NFL average: $38.2 million

Yes, the 49ers’ spending on the D-line is high now, but it could grow even more come 2024. Premium free agent who signed Javon Hargrave to a loaded deal – his hits grew from $6.6 million in 2023 to $15.5 million in 2024 to 26.6 $1 million in 2025 – and Nick Bosa is expected to sign a huge deal within the next month. Bosa’s new contract should actually lower his 2023 figure of $17.9 million, because it will spread the cap over the coming years, but the 49ers’ long-term D-line liabilities will inevitably increase.

And this is how the 49ers operate. They believe in investing heavily in the D-line and are willing to commit huge amounts of money to influence players. The team would certainly like to see a return to form in 2021 from Eric Armistead, who was injured all of 2022 and who is now priced at $23.8 million – the highest level on defence.

Hargrave’s signing moved the 49ers past Washington ($65.4 million) and Cincinnati ($63.7 million) in D-line spending. For more perspective, the fourth-place Giants are down at $53.6 million.

full back

players in the list: 9
cover hit (NFL rank): $23.3 million (No. 19)
NFL Average: $26.4 million

In Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, the 49ers have arguably the best fullback pairing in football – but they are ranked No. 19 in total spending on the position despite the fact that both players are on their second contracts. A restructuring of Warner’s deal to bill the majors into the future (his number expanded from $9 million in 2023 to $25.6 million in 2024) made this possible in the near term. Greenlaw’s deal — which looks like a $5.5 million deal — also helped, as did the team’s decision to let third linebacker Aziz Al Shaer walk in free agency.

The 49ers are aiming to replace him with players on cheap rookie deals. They drafted two midfielders, De Winters and Galen Graham, with this in mind. With the big bill due in this position, it’s imperative that the 49ers perpetuate the productive cycle of linebacker development that began with their selection of Warner in 2018.

Defensive back

players in the list: 17
cover hit (NFL rank): $23.1 million (No. 31)
NFL Average: $36.9 million

The NFL is on a high school spending spree, but the 49ers aren’t following the trend. In 2022, the 49ers are earmarked for the No. 13 secondary rank of $23.6 million. Here in 2023 they’re basically unchanged ($23.1 million), but now they’re ranked 31st — ahead of only the Rams, who spend just $16.2 million on DBs after trading away corner Jalen Ramsey.

Under Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, the 49ers have signed cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Charvarius Ward to valuable contracts, so they’re not totally averse to spending here. But the team, which has a philosophy of rushing coverage, has looked for deals outside the top cornerback position and has consistently spent millions on its D-line.

Teams like the Bills ($59.6 million in DB spending) and the Seahawks ($54.5 million) are in stark contrast to the 49ers. The key to Lynch and Co. On-going productions from players like Talanoa Hufanga and Tashaun Gipson Sr. and Decommore Lenoir, a trio that has an average ceiling of just $1.4 million. Third-round draft pick J’Ayir Brown, who has cost the 49ers just about $981,000 this season, is another prime example of the efficiency of the maximum rookie deal the team is seeking in a young high school that will be paired with that big money line D.

special teams

players in the list: 4
cover hit (NFL rank): $5.5 million (#21)
NFL Average: $6.5 million

Rookie Kicker Jake Moody’s 2023 cap number is only about $964,000, which unlocked money the 49ers didn’t have when they were paying Robbie Gould. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky ($1.8 million) and long-term Taybor Pepper ($1.2 million) are pricier, but neither of those contracts break the bank, and the 49ers are also expected to make some money back once they dump kicker Zane Gonzalez, who Made $1.5 million.

At this point, in fact, the 49ers’ total special teams bill of about $4 million would rank 29th in the NFL. They have streamlined the charges on the room. Is this worth it? Well, that depends on Moody’s leg.

(Top photo by Nick Bosa: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)