The San Francisco 49ers spent the bulk of the early 2025 offseason shedding money, which included plenty of high-profile player departures.
In addition to free-agent losses, the Niners either traded or outright released a number of well-known names, including two notable figures on the defensive line, Maliek Collins and Javon Hargrave, both of whom were classifed with post-June 1 tags. While both were released at the start of the league new year and subsequently signed elsewhere, by applying the tags, all San Francisco had to do was wait until June 1 for the added cap benefits.
With the calendar turning to the next month, the 49ers experienced an additional $5.6 million in salary cap space for the upcoming season.
The added space surely allowed the Niners to put in the framework for their recently reported and soon-to-be trade pickup of edge defender Bryce Huff from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins releases opened financial door for Bryce Huff
Huff, who thrived under then-New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh in 2023 amid a 10-sack campaign, struggled in Philly last season, so Philadelphia offloading him to the Bay Area is a win for Eagles general manager Howie Roseman on that front.
However, it's shaping up to be a win for San Francisco, too, as Saleh gets one of his preferred defenders back to fill a glaring void on the 49ers defense.
Philadelphia will cover just over $9 million of Huff's salary, while the Niners will cover $7.95 million, according to ESPN's Field Yates:
Waiting until June 1 allowed all parties to pull off the move, which was made that much easier by designating both Hargrave and Collins as post-June 1 releases.
While those two players' departures didn't open up enough cap space to fully cover Huff's acquisition, the numbers were surely made easier by engineering the releases in such a way.
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