Check the math. The numbers don’t lie, even if NFL general managers occasionally do. The 49ers are currently carrying more than $110 million in dead money on their books. That’s salary cap space allocated to players who are currently doing anything but playing for San Francisco this season. In the NFL, $110 million in dead weight isn’t a hurdle; it’s a tombstone. It’s a competitive anchor usually brought on by egregious fiscal mismanagement or, as in the Niners’ case, a dramatic, concerted effort to clear the books. It’s a white flag. A “gap year.” The “let’s get the finances right and go for it in 2026” surrender. And I’m not even counting all...
