Before the 49ers released veteran defensive tackle Arik Armstead on Wednesday, the they tried to trade him to the Texans for Maliek Collins but the deal fell apart after Houston agreed to terms with free-agent edge rusher Danielle Hunter, The Athletic's Matt Barrows reported, citing a source briefed on the situation.
In the end, the 49ers agreed to send a 2024 seventh-round draft pick to the Texans for Collins, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco. A few hours later, San Francisco released Armstead, allowing him to hit the free-agent market.
Armstead's release comes with a post-June 1 designation, a source told Maiocco, creating more than $18 million in salary-cap space for the 49ers.
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Per Maiocco, the 49ers have opted to spread Armstead's "dead money" over the next two years, so he still will count for $10.31 million on the salary cap this year and $15.55 million next year.
Collins comes to the 49ers with an $8 million base salary in 2024 and a $9.5 million base salary in 2025.
Armstead, a 49ers captain for the last four seasons, was a victim of San Francisco's need to shed high-priced salaries in order to attempt to retain All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk this year and quarterback Brock Purdy next year.
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