According to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, the San Francisco 49ers restructured linebacker Fred Warner's contract last week, creating some salary cap space by converting a significant portion of his base salary into bonuses.
Per source, the 49ers restructured Fred Warner's contract last week, converting a sizeable portion of his base salary into bonuses. That ought to create some salary-cap cushion as free agency begins in earnest at 9 a.m. today (15 minutes from now).
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) March 11, 2024
Warner was one of the more likely candidates to have his contract restructured. Ahead of the restructuring, the linebacker was scheduled to earn a base salary of $15.3 million and count nearly $24.5 million against the 2024 salary cap. Now, his cap hit is about $13.8 million for the upcoming season.
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NFL teams can begin negotiating with impending free agents today at 9 a.m. PT. Free agents can begin signing with new teams at the start of the new league year on Wednesday at 1 p.m. PT.
San Francisco made Warner (6-3, 230) a third-round selection (No. 70 overall) out of BYU in 2018. He registered 132 tackles, including six for a loss, five quarterback hits, 2.5 sacks, 11 passes defensed, a career-high four interceptions, and four forced fumbles through 17 starts last season, per Pro Football Reference.
Warner, 27, has recorded 766 tackles, including 31 for a loss, 28 quarterback hits, nine sacks, 46 passes defensed, eight interceptions, a touchdown, and 11 forced fumbles in 98 starts in his six NFL seasons.
Widely considered one of the best linebackers in the NFL, Warner is a three-time first-team All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowl selection.