The San Francisco 49ers picked up the fifth-year option of defensive end Arik Armstead last April. That committed the team to a 2019 salary of $9.046 million should he be on the roster at the start of the new league year on March 13.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Wednesday that the 49ers are committed to Armstead for at least the 2019 season.
"We're not into losing good players, and he has played very well for us," Shanahan said via NBC Sports Bay Area at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "I think he can take it to a whole other level and I hope to see him do that this year. If he does, that will be very good for the Niners and very good for him because he's got the ability to do it.
"He's already done some very good things for us in these two years. Hopefully, this year he can stay healthier. Hopefully, the addition of changing our style a little on the D-line will help him. And I expect him to get better."
In the bay for another year hopefully many more if I'm welcomed #GodsPlan
— Arik Armstead (@arikarmstead) February 27, 2019
The 49ers fired defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina in January and replaced him with Kris Kocurek. Kocurek did not join the team in Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl. Instead, he got to work on studying his new players' film. Armstead will be among those new players, and Kocurek will have a season to figure out if the soon-to-be fifth-year player fits his style of play.
The 49ers made Armstead, who played college football at Oregon, the No. 17 overall selection in 2015. He registered 48 combined tackles, and a career-high three sacks through 16 starts with the 49ers in 2018. Armstead has recorded 98 combined tackles, nine sacks, a pass defensed, and a forced fumble through four NFL seasons.
"Arik's done a good job, and you don't want to lose good players," Shanahan said in December when asked about Armstead's future with the 49ers. "Those decisions are based off of how do you want to balance and allocate all the money because you can't do whatever you want.
"What are the options out there? What's our depth chart look like? And what's the best way to do it? But, if it's as simple as just Arik, then yes, we really are happy with Arik."
