49ers acquire Maliek Collins from Texans for late-round pick, AP source says

Updated Mar. 13, 2024 8:15 p.m. ET

Associated Press

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have added more help to their defensive line, agreeing to acquire defensive tackle Maliek Collins in a trade from Houston for a seventh-round draft pick.

A person familiar with the trade said the Niners will acquire Collins pending a physical. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been announced by either team.

ESPN first reported the deal.

Collins is the latest addition made by the 49ers to their revamped defensive line after San Francisco had previously agreed to deals with free agent defensive ends Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos, and defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, according to several sources speaking on condition of anonymity because those deals hadn’t been signed.

San Francisco needed reinforcements on the line with Chase Young, Clelin Ferrell, Javon Kinlaw and Randy Gregory all hitting free agency and Arik Armstead getting released in a cost-cutting move Wednesday.

Collins, who turns 29 next month, is owed base salaries of $8 million and $9.5 million the next two seasons. Houston will take a $10 million dead cap hit for the trade to account for a signing bonus paid when he got an extension last year.

Collins matched a career high with five sacks last season when he ranked 12th among all defensive tackles in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric. He had 11 sacks, 26 tackles for loss and 35 quarterback hits the past three seasons for the Texans.

Collins played his first four seasons in Dallas and in 2020 for the Raiders before joining the Texans.

Armstead was the longest tenured 49ers player having been drafted in the first round in 2015. He had five sacks in 12 games in the regular season in 2023 and added one more in the playoffs. He has 33 1/2 sacks in 116 games in the regular season and his eight career sacks in the postseason are the second most in franchise history to Nick Bosa’s 10.

Armstead was due to have a $17.4 million base salary and $28.4 million salary cap charge this season. Armstead will still carry a $25.9 million dead cap charge with $10.3 million hitting the cap this season and the rest in 2025.

The Niners nearly finalized a deal with veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks, who opted to sign with Dallas instead, according to a person familiar with the decision speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Niners are still looking for help at linebacker with the status of Dre Greenlaw in question after he tore his Achilles tendon in the Super Bowl loss against Kansas City. Oren Burks and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles are also free agents so the Niners are seeking someone to play alongside All-Pro Fred Warner.

The 49ers also reworked the contract of All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk to keep him on the roster for at least another season, according to his agent Joe Linta.

Juszczyk has made the Pro Bowl eight straight seasons — including all seven with San Francisco — and is a key part of coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.

ESPN reported that the new deal will save San Francisco $1.75 million in salary cap room.

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AP Pro Football Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed to this story

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