Defensive lineman Arik Armstead has signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The San Francisco 49ers released Armstead on Wednesday after he and the team failed in negotiations to restructure his contract. He is coming off a season with 27 tackles and five sacks in 12 games for the NFC champion 49ers.
He also suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee, injured on December 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Armstead left the game with an injury on the second play of the game, but did not return until January 20, in a victory over the visiting Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round. Armstead, 30, played in all three of San Francisco’s playoff games, recording 11 tackles, one sack, seven quarterback pressures and a fumble recovery on 148 snaps. He said in February that knee surgery would require a long recovery, but that he hoped to return to action by the time training camp begins in late July or August. San Francisco originally used the No. 17 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft on Armstead. He started his career as a defensive end, but moved into an interior role in 2019 after battling countless injuries early in his career. His breakthrough season with 10 sacks this year led to him becoming a free agent in early 2020 and earning him a five-year, $85 million contract. In nine seasons with San Francisco, Armstead played in 116 regular season games and recorded 33.5 sacks for his career. He also played in 12 postseason games and recorded eight sacks. In addition to being Armstead San Francisco’s longest-tenured player, he was also a major philanthropist in the Bay Area and his hometown of Sacramento. For the past four years, he has been a candidate for the Niners’ Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. ESPN’s Nick Wagoner contributed to this report.
