Arik Armstead is set to be one of the top defensive players on the open market this offseason, but he doesn't want to go anywhere. On Wednesday, just three days after falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, the defensive lineman said he prefers to remain with the San Francisco 49ers.
“I would love being here,” Armstead said, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “Trying to go back to the Super Bowl, so however that is seen or has to get done, it’s not really my decision what they want to do with me.”
Armstead even went as far to say that he would not be opposed to a franchise tag, which is not something impending free agents typically want.
The 26-year-old added that he is waiting to hear from the 49ers before deciding which direction is best for his future.
Of course, the problem for San Francisco is that it won't have a ton of cap space this offseason, which could certainly impact negotiations with Armstead. The club could also slap a tag on Armstead with the intent of trading him.
Armstead is coming off of a breakout 2019 campaign in which he racked up 54 tackles, 10 sacks, a couple of forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
The Sacramento, Ca. native, who played his collegiate football at the University of Oregon, was originally selected by the Niners in the first round (17th pick overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft.
He was relatively quiet over his first four seasons, totaling nine sacks between 2015 and 2018 before erupting this year.
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