Arik Armstead says he felt “extremely disrespected” by 49ers before eventually signing $43,500,000 deal with Jaguars
After getting released by the San Francisco 49ers, Arik Armstead signed a three-year $43.5 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Not many expected the 49ers to release the 30-year-old defensive end, but the franchise made a hard decision after the Super Bowl loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.
In a clip from his podcast 'Third And Long', Armstead mentioned that he felt 'disrespected' by the 49ers' stance in free agency. He claimed that the franchise did make an offer but based on what he said, it seems like the money wasn't right. He said:
"A lot has happened this offseason, I'm no longer with the 49ers, I have a new team. First off, I want to say that I don't have any animosity towards the organization, Kyle, John, the York family."
"I did feel extremely disrespected, they extended the offer to me... nine years of me being there, the fans deserve to know what happened, you know, I had to make some decisions..."
Arik Armstead didn't reveal the details of the contract offered by the 49ers but it will be disclosed once the full episode of the podcast is released.
He ended up signing a good deal with the Jaguars and will hope to improve the AFC South team's defense alongside the likes of Josh Allen and Travon Walker. The Jaguars' defense gave up an average of 21.8 points and 359.2 total yards of offense last season, which is why they brought in an experienced player like Armstead.
49ers added multiple defensive players after Arik Armstead's departure
Arik Armstead, the 17th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft played nine seasons for the 49ers and became a huge part of their defense. In his last season with the franchise, he had 15 solo tackles, 12 assists on tackles, and 5.0 sacks in 12 games.
Along with Nick Bosa, Armstead was a force to be reckoned with, and no matter who the defensive coordinator was, the 49ers continued to have one of the best defenses in the league.
The San Francisco 49ers didn't stay passive after losing the Super Bowl and added some good players via free agency. Although they have lost Armstead, they added players like Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos, Jordan Elliot, etc.
To replace his production, as well as win the Super Bowl next year, the 49ers acquired these defensive players via free agency:
- Leonard Floyd - OLB: Two-year $20 million
- Yetur Gross-Matos - DE: Two-year $18 million
- Jordan Elliott - DT: Two-year $7 million
- Isaac Yiadom - CB: One-year $1.9 million
- Ezekiel Turner - ILB: One-year $1.29 million
(All figures are as per Spotrac)