49ers hold the Cards in cap space

By Brad Wilbricht  |   Thursday, February 12, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

San Francisco 49ers
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While on the surface the Arizona Cardinals look to have more room under the salary cap than the San Francisco 49ers, that’s not the case when one looks closer.

The Cardinals have roughly $40 million in cap room, but they currently possess fewer than 40 players under contract. With the pending obligations to Kurt Warner, Karlos Dansby and Antonio Smith, that $40 million is very deceiving. Additionally, decisions will need to be made on Bertrand Berry, J.J. Arrington and Terrelle Smith.

Given Arizona’s improbable run to Super Bowl XLIII, several escalators and incentives are expected to take effect. If wide receiver Anquan Boldin has any shot of returning to Arizona, he’ll also need a restructured contract.

Meanwhile, the NFC West rival 49ers have the majority of their core players already locked up and will benefit from restructuring the contract of former No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith -- who is scheduled to count $10 million toward the cap this year but is expected to take a considerable pay cut.

So how will San Francisco take advantage of a surplus in cap room? With several key elements already in place, the 49ers are just a few upgrades from returning to relevance in their division.

San Francisco could go after a quarterback, but it will likely let Smith and incumbent Shaun Hill battle for the top spot. Upgrading an average receiving corps will benefit either of the QBs.

While Josh Morgan, Jason Hill and Arnaz Battle are all capable receivers, they don’t display enough ability to take over as the team’s top wideout. Isaac Bruce’s best days are behind him and Bryant Johnson has failed to live up to expectations so far in his career.

The free-agent crop of receivers isn’t overflowing with talent, but San Francisco might be smart to take a hard run at T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The Victorville, Calif., native obviously has ties to the West Coast and will certainly be looking to jump the sinking ship known as the Cincinnati Bengals.

If the 49ers are able to land Houshmandzadeh and finally get consistent play at the quarterback position, the pieces are in place for a rapid turnaround. And hey, maybe they’ll duplicate Arizona's feat of making the Super Bowl after years of mediocrity.
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About Brad Wilbricht

Brad Wilbricht covers numerous sporting events including the NFL, NFL Draft and college football. His analysis is simulcast through several media outlets across the country. Additionally, Brad is a regular guest on a variety of talk radio shows and can be frequently heard on the airwaves. To ...
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