Elite Defensive Tackle Expected to Sign Contract With Jacksonville Jaguars

Arik Armstead, Jacksonville Jaguars, Agree to Contract

Entering free agency well over the salary cap, the San Francisco 49ers wanted Armstead to alter his contract and make him take a pay cut. The defensive lineman refused, as he was coming off a strong season of his own. While injuries limited him to 12 games, the former first-round pick finished the season with five sacks, 27 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, and 13 quarterback hits while helping guide his team to the Super Bowl. However, despite the strong play, the 49ers needed the cap space, releasing Armstead and setting him up to join a new team for the first time in his career.

Arik Armstead originally entered the league as a first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Selected by the San Francisco 49ers, the Oregon product struggled to stay healthy early in his career. After appearing in 16 games as a rotational player as a rookie, injuries limited him to just 14 games over the next two seasons.

Fortunately, the first-round pick found a way to stay on the field shortly after that. Armstead didn’t miss a single game from 2018 to 2021 while establishing himself as one of the better interior defenders in the league. Over that timeframe, the Oregon product recorded 22.5 sacks, 123 tackles, 30 tackles-for-loss, 54 quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles while helping the team make it to the Super Bowl in 2019.

Unfortunately, the injury bug came back to bite him. Over the past two years, Armstead has appeared in just 21 of a possible 34 games but has remained productive when on the field.

Since signing his rookie contract, Arik Armstead has appeared in 116 games while making 97 starts. While on the field, the former first-round pick has recorded 33.5 sacks, 302 tackles, 43 tackles-for-loss, and 88 quarterback hits.