(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Generally speaking, the San Francisco 49ers will look the same when they take the field this coming season after another heartbreaking loss in the Super Bowl in February.
But their front seven will look somewhat different, and one reason why is the departure of mainstay defensive lineman Arik Armstead.
The 49ers couldn’t come to terms with him on a new contract, and he was thus released, paving the way for him to join the Jacksonville Jaguars.
On his podcast, Armstead said the Houston Texans nearly pulled off a trade for him this offseason and that the Buffalo Bills also tried to obtain him before the Jaguars stepped in, via Demetrius Harvey on Twitter.
#Jaguars DL Arik Armstead was nearly traded to the Texans before that fell through.
Armstead said on his podcast, third and long, that the Buffalo Bills were also in play until they werent.
The Jaguars, ultimately, won the sweepstakes Via: Third and Long/@tidalleague pic.twitter.com/OGCpqLHEnc
— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82) April 4, 2024
Armstead, the No. 17 pick in the 2015 draft, was a major contributor to San Francisco over the last nine seasons.
He shuffled back and forth between playing defensive end and defensive tackle, and his best year so far came in 2019 when he posted 10.0 sacks, 18 quarterback hits, and 11 tackles for loss.
In the last two seasons, he was hampered by injuries that limited him to a total of 21 games, but in the Super Bowl versus the Kansas City Chiefs, he had six combined tackles (three solo) and 1.0 sacks.
Armstead is now joining a Jaguars team that looked hot a year ago but regressed in 2023 and missed the playoffs.
Their pass defense was arguably their biggest weakness last season, and he will upgrade a defensive line that simply wasn’t productive, at least statistically.
The 30-year-old ended up signing a three-year deal with Jacksonville that will pay him $51 million.
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