NFC West team interested in Kyle Juszczyk if 49ers release linebacker – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

In March, the 49ers restructured quarterback Kyle Juszczyk’s contract, saving the team $1.75 million in salary cap space.

Although Joszczyk admitted that he was “hurt” by the team’s request to reduce his salary, he ultimately accepted the reduction.

Recently, the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player told the San Francisco Chronicle why he ultimately chose to stay with San Francisco, and revealed a potential suitor within the division if he were to be cut.

“Juszek had potential landing spots, including some that surprised him; for example, [Arizona] “The Cardinals, an NFC West contender with a core offense of one linebacker and three receivers, were among the teams that emerged as options if he was released,” writer Mike Silver wrote in the article.

It was strange to see Juszczyk play against San Francisco twice a year, especially considering how useful he has been to San Francisco’s offense over the past seven seasons. However, the Cardinals’ offers, as well as those from every other team, weren’t enough to seduce Juszczyk.

“Ultimately, I love San Francisco so much… It’s hard to put a price on knowing literally everyone in the building,” Juszczyk told Silver. “So it would have taken a lot of effort for someone to pry me out. There were a lot of teams interested, but no one could impress me and make it worth giving up all that.”

However, the controversy was an understandable blow to the veteran’s ego, especially since Juszyk still believes he’s at the top of his game, even criticizing Pro Football Focus’ analysis of his performance in recent seasons.

“I felt throughout qualifying that I was playing my best tennis,” Goszyk said. “I don’t feel like my game has declined in any way, unlike what the ATP thinks… They like to show that I’ve gotten worse and worse and worse since 2019.”

The 49ers’ request for a pay cut clearly doesn’t indicate much confidence in the 33-year-old’s performance, but the decision to keep Juzczyk as the NFL’s most expensive player still lends credence to his importance to the organization’s success.

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