Both Kyle Juszczyk and Arik Armstead were asked by San Francisco to take pay cuts this offseason.
Armstead refused, citing he can make more money on the open market than what the 49ers offered him, and he might be right. Will Juszczyk decline their pay cut and test free agency as well?
It’s easy to see why Armstead made his decision. He was scheduled to earn a whopping $28 million this season — he is still valuable, even though he’s aging and getting injured.
Every team needs a three-down defensive tackle who’s good against the run and the pass. There’s a large market for him, although not at $28 million per season.
Juszczyk is different. Juszczyk is too years older than Armsread, and Juszczyk is a fullback. Not many teams even use fullbacks. So if he refuses to take a pay cut and tests the open market, the market for him might be extremely thin. He might do better taking whatever lowball offer the 49ers have offered him.
But there’s one potential ace up Juszczyk’s sleeve: The Dolphins.
Their head coach is Mike McDaniel, who was a 49ers offensive assistant from 2017 to 2021. Meaning he drew up plays for Juszczyk for five seasons.
And McDaniel is one of the most creative offensive coaches in the NFL — arguably more creative than Kyle Shanahan. And the Dolphins play in Florida, a tax-free state. Which means they could offer Juszczyk exactly what the 49ers offer him, and Juszczyk would profit more on the Dolphins.
I’m not saying the Dolphins even want Juszczyk, but he probably should text McDaniel just to find out.
