SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 16: San Francisco 49ers Center Weston Richburg (58) during the NFL game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers on December 16, 2018 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. (Photo by Cody Glenn / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesWeston Richburg will leave the 49ers with a nice farewell gift.
The team’s starting center, who was sidelined for several serious injuries during his three-year term, restructured his contract to create space for a salary cap, a move likely to be followed by his retirement. NFL Network reported. The restructuring will create US $ 6.875 million in cap space. The 49ers had $ 24.9 million in cap space, the 14th largest in the NFL, before reworking the $ 47.5 million five-year contract that Richburg signed in 2018, according to NFLPA records.
The restructuring gives 49ers just under $ 32 million in capitalization space before the free agency starts with the “legal breach” period at 1pm on Monday. Teams cannot officially sign players until the free agency’s official start on Wednesday.
Richburg, 29, has had quadriceps, knee, shoulder and hip surgery since the end of the 2018 season and has not played for the 49ers since December 8, 2019. Richburg signed with the 49ers after losing the final 12 games in 2017 with a concussion when he was with the Giants.
Eric Branch covers the 49ers for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @Eric_Branch