Armstead felt ‘disrespected’ by 49ers’ offer before joining Jaguars

Defensive tackle Arik Armstead was disappointed by what the San Francisco 49ers offered him before he decided to join the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason.

“(The 49ers) extended an offer to me of $6 million for a one-year deal with incentives to go up to, like, $8 (million),” Armstead said on the latest edition of his “Third and Long” podcast. “When they sent that over, I did feel extremely disrespected. I don’t feel that that level of compensation is nowhere near the type of player that I am.”

Armstead, who was the longest-tenured player on the 49ers last year, would’ve had a $17.41-million base salary in 2024 under his previous deal before San Francisco tried to restructure his contract, which would have involved a significant pay cut. The Niners released Armstead after he declined the restructured deal.

The 30-year-old then signed a three-year pact worth $43.5 million with the Jaguars in free agency. The deal includes $28 million guaranteed.

“I wanted to sign a four-year, $80-million contract. That was the goal of mine (at the beginning of the season),” Armstead said. “That’s the type of player I feel that I am. And players who are on my caliber, that’s what they make.”

A first-round pick in 2015, Armstead has spent his entire career with the 49ers and was a cornerstone of the team’s defense. However, the Oregon product battled several injuries. He’s missed 13 regular-season games in the last two years, including five contests in 2023.

Armstead recently said he would undergo knee surgery after playing through a torn meniscus during the postseason. The 49ers reached Super Bowl LVIII but fell short against the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime.

Though Armstead didn’t want to leave the 49ers, he said he knew it was a possibility.

“Heading into this season,” Armstead said, “I kind of felt like I might play myself out of being in San Francisco. … I understand the business of football. I can see it would be hard to have two $20-million D-tackles and a $30-million defensive end and all this talent on our team.”

The 49ers boast one of the NFL’s most well-rounded rosters with stars on both sides of the ball. San Francisco players rank in the top three in average annual salary at five different positions. That includes Christian McCaffrey – the league’s highest-paid running back – and edge rusher Nick Bosa, who signed a record five-year, $170-million extension last year.

49ers CEO: Purdy will ask for record deal when eligible

San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York is aware a potential record-breaking contract extension for Brock Purdy is on the horizon.

“It’s what the market is,” York said at the NFL owners meetings, according to Cam Inman of The Mercury News. “Brock is going to ask for something that no one has ever asked for before.”

Purdy signed a three-year, $3.7-million rookie deal when he was selected with the last pick in the 2022 draft. He’s eligible for a contract extension next offseason and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026.

The 24-year-old has a $1.04-million cap hit in 2024, ranking 67th among signal-callers, according to Spotrac, He’s the third-highest-paid quarterback on the 49ers this season and ranks behind players such as Aidan O’Connell, Sam Ehlinger, and Nathan Peterman.

Purdy has excelled since taking over the starting job in 2022. He has a 17-4 record in 21 contests, helping lead the 49ers to the conference championship in 2022 and the Super Bowl last campaign. Out of 25 signal-callers who have taken at least 700 snaps over the last two years, Purdy ranks first in EPA/play and success rate.

The 49ers have dished out a record-breaking quarterback contract in the past, making Jimmy Garoppolo the highest-paid player at the position in 2018 with a five-year, $137.5-million deal.

“To me, the quarterback is the most important position not just in football, but all of sports, and those guys should be paid a lot of money,” York said.

He added: “When we signed Jimmy several years ago, it was the largest deal in the history of the NFL, for three minutes,” York said. “But Jimmy was at ($27.5 million). That’s what the market is, and you have to accept the reality of the world.”

Purdy has 5,645 passing yards with 44 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in his career.

49ers signing Floyd, Gross-Matos

The San Francisco 49ers are signing former Buffalo Bills pass-rusher Leonard Floyd to a two-year, $20-million deal, a source told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The maximum value of the contract is $24 million, Rapoport adds. Floyd will also receive $12 million guaranteed in the first year of the pact.

The 49ers didn’t stop there, also signing former Carolina Panthers defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos to a two-year contract worth $18 million, Rapoport reports.

Floyd and Gross-Matos give the 49ers proven pass-rushers opposite former Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa.

Floyd tied a career high in 2023 with 10.5 sacks. The 31-year-old has posted at least nine sacks in each of the last four seasons.

Gross-Matos registered a career-high 4.5 sacks in 12 games last season.

Floyd spent one year in Buffalo after spending 2020-22 with the Los Angeles Rams. He began his career with the Chicago Bears.

The additions indicate that Chase Young is unlikely to return to the 49ers in free agency.

Chiefs top 49ers in OT to win 3rd Super Bowl in 5 years

Six months ago, Patrick Mahomes was reluctant to call the Kansas City Chiefs a dynasty because they hadn’t won three Super Bowls together. He doesn’t have to worry about that anymore.

Mahomes found Mecole Hardman in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown in overtime to help the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium.

It’s the Chiefs’ second straight Super Bowl title and third championship victory in the last five seasons. They’re the first team to win back-to-back Lombardi Trophies since the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004.

Mahomes – who was named Super Bowl MVP for a third time – engineered an 11-play drive that resulted in a clutch 29-yard Harrison Butker field goal with three seconds left in the fourth quarter to force overtime. The 49ers’ offense had the ball first in the extra frame but couldn’t score a touchdown, settling for a 27-yard field goal.

Kansas City struggled offensively for most of Super Bowl LVIII and went to halftime down 10-3. The Mahomes-led Chiefs have trailed by double-digit points in all four of the superstar quarterback’s career Super Bowl appearances. The 28-year-old is now 3-1 in the Big Game. He lifted his first Lombardi Trophy with a 31-20 victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV despite trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter.

Mahomes completed 34 of 46 pass attempts for 333 yards and two touchdowns against one interception in his latest triumph over the 49ers. He also led his team with 66 rushing yards. Travis Kelce once again was his favorite target, hauling in nine catches for 93 yards.

Hardman played the hero for the Chiefs in Las Vegas after starting the season on the New York Jets. Kansas City – which struggled offensively with wide receiver drops for most of the 2023 campaign – landed Hardman as part of an October trade. It was a reunion as the speedster began his career with K.C. and helped the team win its first two Super Bowls of the Mahomes and Andy Reid era.

Reid is only one of five head coaches with at least three Super Bowl rings. Only Bill Belichick (six trophies) and Chuck Noll (four) have won more.

Defenses dominated Super Bowl LVIII early on, with the Chiefs forcing a Christian McCaffrey fumble on the game’s first drive. The matchup’s 0-0 tie wasn’t broken until the second quarter when rookie kicker Jake Moody converted a 55-yard field goal. The kick set a Super Bowl record that only lasted minutes until Butker nailed a 57-yarder in the third quarter.

San Francisco forced a fumble of its own in the second quarter, knocking the ball out of Isiah Pacheco’s hands in the red zone to end a promising Kansas City drive.

The 49ers extended their second-quarter lead thanks to a perfectly executed trick play that featured receiver Jauan Jennings throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass to McCaffrey. Jennings became only the second wide receiver ever to throw a touchdown in the Super Bowl along with former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antwaan Randle El (Super Bowl XL).

The 49ers’ defense continued to have the Chiefs’ number after halftime, with rookie Ji’Ayir Brown picking off Mahomes early in the third quarter. Mahomes went 217 playoff passes without an interception before that play. However, Kansas City capitalized after San Francisco muffed a third-quarter punt. Mahomes found a wide-open Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the end zone for a touchdown to give K.C. its first lead of the night.

That didn’t last long, though, as Jennings put the Niners on top again with a 10-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter. The pass-catcher joined former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles as the only players ever to record a passing and receiving touchdown in a Super Bowl.

Despite leading for most of the matchup, the Niners weren’t able to hold on. Their last Super Bowl title now dates back to the 1994 season. San Francisco has gone 0-3 in the Big Game since then.

Sunday’s defeat also marked another heartbreaking loss for coach Kyle Shanahan, who’s 0-3 in the Super Bowl. In addition to losing both Super Bowl matchups to Mahomes’ Chiefs, Shanahan was also the Atlanta Falcons’ play-caller and offensive coordinator when they blew a 28-3 lead to the Patriots in February 2017.

McCaffrey captures OPOY over Tyreek

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was named the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year on Thursday night.

McCaffrey – a first-team All-Pro this season – was one of five OPOY finalists along with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, Baltimore Ravens signal-caller Lamar Jackson, and Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill.

McCaffrey ran away with the award, piling up 39 first-place votes and 222 points. Hill ranked second with 139 points (seven first-place votes).

The 49ers tailback led the NFL in several categories, including touches (339), rushing yards (1,459), scrimmage yards (2,023), and total touchdowns (21). McCaffrey, who joined San Francisco as part of a midseason 2022 trade, also averaged 5.4 yards per carry and scored at least one TD in 13 of the 16 games he played in 2023. He had five multi-touchdown appearances, including a four-score performance in Week 4.

Hill was the Offensive Player of the Year favorite for most of the season after finishing the campaign’s first half on pace to top 2,000 receiving yards. However, the Dolphins superstar didn’t reach the historic mark and missed a game due to injury. The All-Pro pass-catcher still led the NFL with 1,799 receiving yards and 13 touchdown catches on 119 receptions.

McCaffrey, Prescott, and Jackson were also finalists for the MVP award.

With quarterbacks dominating the MVP in the last decade, the OPOY award has mostly been awarded to skill-position players. New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas, Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry, Los Angeles Rams wideout Cooper Kupp, and Minnesota Vikings pass-catcher Justin Jefferson were the NFL’s most recent offensive players. Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes was the last quarterback to win it, doing so in 2018.

McCaffrey can add another major trophy to his resume on Sunday in Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Deion Sanders: Purdy is ‘best story’ in football in 2 decades

Colorado head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders believes the San Francisco 49ers found someone special in Brock Purdy.

Sanders had high praise for the quarterback during an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” on Thursday, admitting he’s hoping to find his own Purdy for the Buffaloes.

“Everybody in America has a title, whether you agree with it or not. They give us a title,” Sanders said. “This kid is the best story, probably, that has been over two decades. Coming from the last player taken to (being) in the Super Bowl and (leading) his team to the Super Bowl because of his play. I love this kid, man.

“I mean, shoot, I’m looking for a Brock Purdy. Sorry, I can’t recruit right now.”

Purdy was selected by the 49ers with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, becoming Mr. Irrelevant that year. He started his rookie season as the third-string quarterback behind Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo but was eventually thrust into the starter role due to injuries.

The 24-year-old will become the third Mr. Irrelevant to play in the Super Bowl on Sunday when the 49ers face the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium.

49ers come back to beat Lions, book Super Bowl rematch vs. Chiefs

The San Francisco 49ers scored 27 straight points in the second half to erase a 17-point deficit and claim a 34-31 victory over the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

The Niners entered the record books by overcoming the largest halftime deficit in an NFL conference title matchup. Their victory sets up a Super Bowl rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs, who beat the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC title. Patrick Mahomes won his first ring by defeating San Francisco in Super Bowl LIV in February 2020.

Four San Francisco players topped 1,000 scrimmage yards in the regular season, and the team’s biggest stars once again came up clutch. Christian McCaffrey amassed 132 scrimmage yards (90 rushing) and two touchdowns against Detroit, while Deebo Samuel caught eight passes for 89 yards.

Brandon Aiyuk made arguably the game’s biggest play, hauling in a 51-yard pass after the ball bounced off a Lions defender’s helmet late in the third quarter. Aiyuk scored a touchdown minutes later to help his team storm back.

“Before the game, a ladybug landed on my shoe. And you all know what that means,” Aiyuk told Fox Sports when asked about his spectacular catch. “That’s all I can say. Other than that, I don’t know.”

The Lions scored early with a 42-yard touchdown run from Jameson Williams on the club’s first offensive drive. Detroit dominated the trenches early on, with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs each scoring a TD. Dan Campbell’s outfit finished the night with 182 rushing yards (6.3 per carry) and three scores.

Despite going into halftime with a 24-7 lead, the Lions couldn’t keep their momentum and were outscored 17-0 in the third quarter. Detroit’s three offensive possessions in the third frame resulted in a turnover on downs, lost fumble, and punt.

Detroit went for it on a fourth-and-2 at San Francisco’s 28-yard line midway through the third quarter while leading 24-10, but Josh Reynolds couldn’t hold on to a pass from Jared Goff. The Niners got the ball back and changed the game, with Aiyuk pulling off his miraculous deep reception two minutes later.

Campbell addressed his fourth-down calls postgame, explaining he felt good about his team at the moment.

“I don’t regret those decisions,” he said. “It’s hard because we didn’t come through. … I understand the scrutiny I’ll get. It’s part of the gig.”

Brock Purdy once again helped the 49ers come from behind in the playoffs. After leading a clutch fourth-quarter drive in the divisional round against the Green Bay Packers, Purdy completed 20 of 31 passes versus the Lions for 267 yards and one touchdown against one interception. He also made an impact on the ground, rushing for 51 yards.

By reaching Super Bowl LVIII with Purdy under center, San Francisco becomes the first club to reach the big game with five different starting quarterbacks: Joe Montana, Steve Young, Colin Kaepernick, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Purdy.

The defeat marks a heartbreaking end to Detroit’s Cinderella story. The Lions won their first-ever NFC North title in the 2023 regular season and were trying to advance to their first Super Bowl in franchise history.

Coming off a strong season, Goff tossed 273 yards and one touchdown on 25-of-41 passing versus the 49ers. Detroit outgained San Francisco in total yards (442-413) and first downs (28-23) but was only 1-for-3 on fourth-down attempts. Reynolds also had a second costly drop on a third-down attempt with his team trailing late.

Super Bowl LVIII takes place Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Purdy, 49ers storm back to overcome Packers

Brock Purdy’s throws were off-target all night. The San Francisco defense kept giving up big plays. There were even a couple of special teams blunders.

Just when it seemed like the top-seeded 49ers might be sent home in their first playoff game, they did something they hadn’t managed to do all season: mount a late-game comeback.

Christian McCaffrey capped a game-winning, 69-yard drive by running for his second touchdown with 1:07 to play, and the 49ers held on to beat the Green Bay Packers 24-21 in a divisional-round thriller on Saturday night.

“We’re built for those moments,” McCaffrey said. “We didn’t play well at all but still had a chance at the end. To go out there and execute is a sign of a high character team.”

After spending all regular season as front-runners, the Niners (13-5) rallied behind Purdy and McCaffrey to reach their third straight NFC championship game. And they will host it this time after losing the past two on the road. San Francisco will play the winner of Sunday’s game between Tampa Bay and Detroit next weekend for a spot in the Super Bowl.

Purdy went 6 for 7 for 47 yards on the decisive drive, converting a third down with a 10-yard pass to Brandon Aiyuk and throwing a 17-yarder to Chris Conley.

“Obviously it’s four quarters for a reason, you know? So the way I started, it’s like, ‘Man, I’ve got to be better, got to play efficient football,’” Purdy said. “But when it comes down to it, with the season on the line, you’ve got to make it happen for your boys around you.”

McCaffrey finished it off with his 6-yard run on third-and-short and the 49ers’ defense held on from there, with Dre Greenlaw intercepting Jordan Love for the second time to seal San Francisco’s fifth straight playoff win over Green Bay (10-9).

“We feel exhausted,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “That took everything. It took everyone. We knew it’d be a close game. That’s a heck of a team. They give us everything. This is the playoffs. We knew we had to find a way to win no matter what.”

That last throw across his body was one of the few mistakes by Love, who had given the Packers the lead with two TD passes in the third quarter. But his first full season as the starter in place of Aaron Rodgers had a disappointing ending.

“It’s tough,” Love said. “Very tough. We had an opportunity to win that game and didn’t capitalize on it. It’s a tough way to end the season.”

Purdy — who struggled with his accuracy early on a rainy night — threw for 252 yards and a touchdown, and McCaffrey rushed for 98 yards on 17 carries.

Love put the Niners in the unusual spot of playing from behind. Green Bay converted a third-and-15 when Ambry Thomas was called for a 41-yard pass interference penalty against Bo Melton. Love and Melton connected on the next play for a wide-open 19-yard touchdown aided by Tashaun Gipson slipping on the wet grass in coverage.

After McCaffrey put San Francisco back in the lead with a 39-yard TD run, Green Bay struck quickly thanks to a 73-yard kick return by All-Pro Keisean Nixon that he fumbled, only to have teammate Eric Wilson recover.

Four plays later, Love threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Kraft and the Packers extended the lead to 21-14 on a 2-point conversion pass to Aaron Jones.

“It was the story of our whole team,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “There was times when we were all off.”

The Niners were the first team to make the playoffs in 13 seasons without overcoming a second-half deficit to win a game.

They got a 52-yard field goal from Jake Moody on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it a four-point game, and it stayed there when rookie Anders Carlson missed a 41-yarder for Green Bay.

The Packers moved the ball easily in the first half, getting into the red zone on three straight drives to open the game. But they couldn’t finishing any of them off, setting for two field goals and getting stopped on a fourth-and-1 sneak. They became the first team in 20 years to reach the red zone on their first three drives of a playoff game without getting a TD.

The Niners made them pay for that with Purdy hitting George Kittle on a 32-yard pass on the run for a TD that gave San Francisco the lead.

But San Francisco squandered another chance late in the half when Shanahan wasted time before settling for a 48-yard field goal attempt by Moody that was blocked by Colby Wooden to send the Niners into the half with a 7-6 lead.

Jones finished with 108 yards on 18 carries for the Packers, and Love was 21 of 34 for 194 yards for the Packers, who overcame a 2-5 start to the season to make it this far.

“For us to lose this game certainly stings and I’m sure it’s going to sting for a long time,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “But I was proud of the effort of our guys, our ability to weather some real adversity throughout the course of the season and stick together.”

INJURIES

Packers: RT Zach Tom left in the third quarter to get checked for a head injury and didn’t return.

49ers: WR Deebo Samuel injured his shoulder on the opening drive and missed most of the game.

Carson Wentz leads the Rams to the NFC’s 6th seed with a 21-20 win over the 49ers

Carson Wentz threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score to lead the Los Angeles Rams to a 21-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in a game filled with backups.

Wentz scored on a 12-yard run with 4:56 to play and then converted a 2-point conversion pass to Tutu Atwell to give the Rams (10-7) a 21-20 lead.

Los Angeles held on from there and clinched the sixth seed in the NFC and a trip to Detroit in the wild-card round next weekend.

The game had little meaning with the 49ers (12-5) having clinched the top seed in the NFC and a first-round bye and the Rams clinching a playoff spot last week.

That led both teams to sit several starters, including both quarterbacks, with Brock Purdy getting the day off for San Francisco and Matthew Stafford for Los Angeles.

That provided an opportunity for former top-three picks Wentz and Sam Darnold to get their first starts of the season.

Darnold went 16 for 26 for 189 yards with a TD run and a TD pass to Ronnie Bell.

The biggest drama might have been Rams receiver Puka Nacua’s chase of the rookie records for catches and yards receiving. Nacua caught a 19-yard TD pass from Wentz in the first quarter to tie Bill Groman’s record of 1,473 yards that had stood since 1960.

He then broke the mark with a 7-yard catch on the opening drive of the third quarter. Nacua stayed in the game for one more play and caught a 6-yard pass to give him 105 catches — one more than the record set by Miami’s Jaylen Waddle in 2021.

Nacua’s day was done and he went to the sideline to get a hug from his mother.

The Rams scored on a TD pass from Wentz to Tyler Johnson. Brett Maher missed the extra point as Los Angeles’ kicking woes continued.

The Rams have missed a league-high 16 combined extra points and field goals this season. They waived Lucas Havrisik after he missed two extra points last week and brought back Maher, who missed six FGs and one PAT in seven games earlier this season. That didn’t seem to help the cause.

San Francisco had its own kicking woes with rookie Jake Moody missing a 38-yard field goal for his first miss of any kind since Week 7. Moody then missed his first extra point after 60 straight makes late in the first half.

INJURIES

Rams: S Jordan Fuller (ankle) and LB Troy Reeder (knee) left the game in the first half and didn’t return.

49ers: DE Clelin Ferrell left the game in the first quarter with a knee injury and didn’t return. … The Niners had several injured players inactive and also didn’t play TE George Kittle (back spasms) and LB Dre Greenlaw (Achilles tendinitis) despite having them on the game-day roster.

UP NEXT

Rams: Visit Detroit next weekend with former Lions QB Stafford facing former Rams QB Jared Goff.

49ers: First-round bye and then a divisional-round game at home on Jan. 20 or 21.

Ravens, 49ers clinch No. 1 seeds, playoff byes

The road to Super Bowl LVIII will go through Baltimore and San Francisco.

The Ravens took down the Miami Dolphins 56-19 on Sunday to clinch the AFC’s No. 1 seed, securing a bye in the wild-card round and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The 49ers did the same in the NFC by defeating the Washington Commanders 27-10 in Week 17.

Baltimore – which blew out San Francisco last week – defeated Miami thanks to another spectacular Lamar Jackson performance. The star quarterback completed 18 of 21 pass attempts for 321 yards and five touchdowns, crawling closer to his second career MVP award. He also added 35 yards on the ground.

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It’s the second time the Jackson-led Ravens have claimed the AFC’s No. 1 seed. They had a bye in the playoffs during the 2019 campaign – when Jackson won the MVP – before suffering a stunning divisional-round loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Meanwhile, the 49ers entered this weekend needing a combination of results to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC. In addition to San Francisco’s victory over Washington, the Detroit Lions lost to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday and the Philadelphia Eagles suffered a shocking collapse versus the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

The 49ers also last held the NFC No. 1 seed in 2019. They went to the Super Bowl that season but fell short against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The two No. 1 seeds from 2022 made it to the Super Bowl last season, with the Chiefs edging the Eagles in February.