Why the 49ers made Tom Compton take a Pay Cut

This is interesting.

This is interesting.

The 49ers have restructured veteran guard Tom Compton’s contract, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. Compton has agreed to a pay cut that will save the 49ers more than $1 million in salary-cap space for 2020.

Yates theorized the 49ers restructured Compton’s deal because he lost a competition to be a starter and now must accept backup’s money. And that probably is a large part of why they made Compton restructure. He did not play well at any point during training camp. And even though he took most of the starting reps at right guard, Daniel Brunskill most likely will replace Compton as the starter during the regular season. Brunskill had to play center during camp because Weston Richburg and Ben Garland are injured.

But there could be another reason the 49ers restructured Compton’s deal.

The 49ers are contenders for the Super Bowl. Their rivals have made big all-in moves this offseason. The Seahawks traded for Jamal Adams. The Saints signed Emmanuel Sanders. And the Buccaneers signed Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Leonard Fournette.

Could the 49ers make a big splash before the regular season begins?

After restructuring Compton’s deal, the 49ers have almost $10 million in cap space. On Thursday, when asked about the possibility of signing free-agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the best remaining free agent on the market, 49ers geneal manager John Lynch dodged the question by saying the 49ers are out of cash.

Now they have cash. Would $10 million in cap space be enough to sign Clowney for one year? It might be. They should call his agent, Bus Cook, and find out.

As my grandmother would say -- it couldn’t hurt.