Report: 49ers Working on Getting Deal Done With Arik Armstead

Head coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch have been outspoken about their desire to retain Arik Armstead.

Josina Anderson of ESPN has reported that the San Francisco 49ers want defensive lineman Arik Armstead want and that the two sides are working on getting a deal done.

Latest: #49ers want DL Arik Armstead back and are working on getting a deal done, per source.

— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 2, 2020

Head coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch have been outspoken about their desire to retain Armstead. They know the type of player that he is and what he was able to do for the team last season. However, having limited salary cap space makes the decision on Armstead and other unrestricted free agents a challenge.

"Everything's on the table." Said Lynch at the 49ers' exit interviews. "We want to find a way to keep him and make him a part of the 49ers for a long time."

It has been widely speculated what the 49ers might do with Armstead. With so many key players set to become unrestricted free agents in a few weeks, the decisions on who to retain are insanely tough.

The 49ers could in fact place the franchise tag on Armstead. Doing so would allow them ample time to work on a long-term deal. Trading Armstead would also be a possibility if the 49ers believe that his price tag is way too high. 

The period for the franchise tag opened on Feb. 27 and will be an option to use until Mar. 12. Shanahan and Lynch have 10 more days to figure out what they want to do with him. Whatever they decided with Armstead will have a ripple effect on other free agents players like Jimmie Ward and Emmanuel Sanders.

Not to mention that extensions for George Kittle and DeForest Buckner are also the goals of this offseason for the 49ers as well. If the 49ers are not able to reach an agreement with Armstead, then he his expected to find plenty of suitors willing to offer him a lucrative deal.