Regarding the 49ers letting him go, Arik Armstead expressed his opinions.
Former captain and defensive end Arik Armstead let his former team know how he felt less than a month after the 49ers let him go.
Because Armstead refused to accept a compensation reduction in light of the 49ers’ precarious salary cap predicament, the team terminated him earlier this month. Armstead, a former No. 17 pick with the 49ers in 2015, just signed a free agent contract to play with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Armstead stated on the “Third and Long” podcast on Wednesday, “I want to start by saying that I don’t have any animosity toward the organization—Kyle [Shanahan], John [Lynch], and the York family.” “I did feel deeply insulted.”
The 49ers made Armstead an offer, but the video was silent on the amount of money. The 49ers had already signed him to a five-year, $85 million contract.
Armstead continued, “The fans should know what happened after nine years of me being there.” “I had to make some decisions, you know.”
The first episode of #ThirdAndLong Season 2 drops tomorrow.
Watch here: https://t.co/aAyXsp0Dsy pic.twitter.com/baHYSBpjo8
— Arik Armstead (@arikarmstead) March 28, 2024
Armstead, a native of Sacramento, made an impression on the 49ers while playing at Oregon University. As he accumulated 302 tackles, 33.5 sacks, 88 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 116 games, his role with the 49ers expanded with time.
Additionally, Armstead assisted the 49ers in winning four NFC Championship games and two Super Bowls. Throughout his playoff career, he has amassed 38 tackles, 8 sacks, 13 quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
Armstead signed a $43.5 million, three-year contract with Jacksonville.
“It Was Really Tough,” said Kyle Shanahan.
It was “really tough,” according to Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan, to let Armstead go on Tuesday during the NFL league meeting in Orlando.
“Since we arrived, we have been with Arik, and I know he was here a few years earlier than us. We didn’t really want it to happen, Shanahan said to the press.
Trying to keep the squad together and dealing with the pay cap and other issues was one of the harder things. His timing was perfect. “Very happy for him and his outcome, but sad to see him go,” Shanahan continued.
John Lynch: “Arik and I collaborated.”
Although “we worked with Arik” to get an extension done, Niners general manager John Lynch stated that it ultimately failed.
“Sometimes you just can’t keep everyone, and that means you have to make some difficult decisions,” Lynch said to reporters on Monday during the owners meetings in Orlando. We collaborated with Arik, and we are grateful that he, his family, and their representative tried to resolve the issue through a renegotiated contract. We tried a few different approaches to various concepts.
“In the end, he desired to ascertain his worth, which was advantageous for him, given its strength,” Lynch continued. You saw what he got in Jacksonville, after all. Thus, it’s fortunate for Arik that he bet on himself.
“Sometimes you just can’t keep everyone, and that means you have to make some difficult decisions,” Lynch said to reporters on Monday during the owners meetings in Orlando. We collaborated with Arik, and we are grateful that he, his family, and their representative tried to resolve the issue through a renegotiated contract. We tried a few different approaches to various concepts.
“In the end, he desired to ascertain his worth, which was advantageous for him, given its strength,” Lynch continued. You saw what he got in Jacksonville, after all. Thus, it’s fortunate for Arik that he bet on himself.
“Those are difficult choices. “Arik has greatly contributed to our team,” Lynch said. He is so ingrained in the community, the work he conducts, and our identity as a team. But in the end, he decided to gamble on himself, and given the size of his market, I believe he made the right decision.
