The 49ers needed every salary cap dollar available to finalize a contract extension for Nick Bosa. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said the tea was clearing cap space on veteran contracts ahead of the Bosa deal, and on Wednesday night, ESPN’s Field Yates clarified who those players were.
The Niners cleared more than $23.3 million in cap space by restructuring the contracts of George Kittle and Trent Williams. Generally, when this happens, the 49ers convert the players' full base salary into a signing bonus. For Williams, that number is $18.3 million, while it’s $10.5 million for Kittle.