| | SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Steve Young's decision on whether to
leave football might hinge on more than his health.
|  | | Niners QB Steve Young is weighing his options, and listening to doctors. |
The salary cap of the San Francisco 49ers is certain to figure
into the timing of any retirement announcement by the star
quarterback, USA Today reported Thursday.
"(Money considerations) could certainly be a factor," 49ers
general manager Bill Walsh said Wednesday.
The 49ers have declined comment about Young's future while he
seeks additional medical opinions. Young sustained his fourth
concussion in three years Sept. 27 against Arizona and is sidelined
indefinitely.
If Young were to announce his retirement in the near future,
salary-cap rules would force the team to make deep cuts in the
player payroll.
That's because his early retirement would force the team to
account for Young's six-year, $45 million salary over a shorter
period. If done too early, it could raise the team's payroll above
the $57.3 million cap imposed by the NFL.
One possibility is for the 49ers is to place Young on the
injured-reserve list, which would require him to sit out the rest
of the season. The long rest could give Young an opportunity to
shake off his postconcussion symptoms and eventually return to the
game, as he said he wants to do.
Here are several reasons a definitive resolution might not come
soon:
If Young were to retire before June 1, the already financially
strapped team would take a $5 million salary cap hit. The team
would then have just a week to get under the cap.
If Young were to wait until after June 1 to retire, the 49ers
would have just a $1.2 million salary-cap hit for next season.
Young would then cost the cap nearly $3.8 million in 2001.
If Young were to announce his retirement next week when the
49ers have a bye, he would lose 10/17th of his $6.25 million salary
this year: a total of nearly $3.7 million.
| |
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