(Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)
The NFL has punished the San Francisco 49ers for a strange error regarding the club’s administrative payroll accounting.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the league has stripped the 49ers of their 2025 fifth-round draft pick because of an error relating to the club’s payroll. Not only that, but the 49ers’ 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 131 overall) has been moved down four slots because of the violation.
Pelissero reports that the NFL conducted a review and found that the 49ers violated the rules during the 2022 season. Here’s what the NFL insider said:
“This action resulted from a league review that found administrative payroll accounting errors at the close of the 2022 league year that resulted in a misreporting of the club’s cumulative player compensation. The NFL determined that the club would have remained under the salary cap at all times regardless of the error and there was no intent to circumvent the cap.”
With the 49ers having their No. 135 choice bumped down, GM John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan now have the following selections in next month’s draft: No. 31, No. 63, No. 94, No. 124, No. 133, No. 135, No. 176, No. 211, No. 215 and No. 251.
The #49ers will forfeit their original fifth-round selection in the 2025 Draft and will have their 2024 fourth-round selection (#131) move to the end of the fourth round, behind the compensatory picks (#135).
This action resulted from a league review that found administrative…— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 18, 2024
ESPN’s Nick Wagoner shared a statement from the NFL regarding their decision to hand down the punishment to the 49ers. In another statement shared by Wagoner, the reigning NFC Champions said they accept “responsibility and accept the imposed discipline.”
Statement from the NFL on the #49ers forfeiting their original 5th-round selection in the 2025 NFL draft and moving their 4th round selection this year to the end of the round behind the compensatory picks (No. 135):
"This action resulted from a league review that found…
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) March 18, 2024
Statement from there #49ers:
“We take responsibility and accept the imposed discipline from the NFL due to a clerical payroll error. At no time did we mislead or otherwise deceive the League or gain a competitive advantage in connection with the payroll mistake.”
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) March 18, 2024
The NFL has a strict policy on teams violating rules, whether it relates to on-field scandals (Bountygate, Spygate, Deflategate, etc.) or general league rules.
The Miami Dolphins were heavily punished for breaking the league’s tampering rules by talking to then-New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and former New England Patriots QB Tom Brady while both were under contract with their respective teams.
As a result, the NFL docked the Dolphins’ 2023 first-round pick and 2024 third-round pick. They were fined $1.5 million, and owner Stephen Ross was suspended through Oct. 17.
San Francisco 49ers Have A Busy Offseason Ahead
The 49ers have to put this controversy behind them and shift their focus towards the many difficult tasks at hand. The NFL Draft is just over a month away, and Lynch must decide on potential extensions for star wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, who’ve both been mentioned in trade rumors.
