The 49ers are one of the lower-revenue teams in the league, so they will be getting handouts from the organizations that make more money.
But team owner John York said Thursday he expects the 49ers’ role in NFL revenue-sharing to change once a new stadium is built in San Francisco.
The question continues to be if the 49ers will ever get a new stadium built. York declined to discuss details of a 49ers stadium – a project that has stalled since San Francisco voters narrowly approved the 1997 ballot measure.
York said the new collective bargaining agreement is great news for the 49ers. The new deal includes a more favorable G3 loan program, under which the league helps clubs build money-making stadiums.
“With this CBA, (union chief) Gene Upshaw (and the players) have recognized that what has been good for the league is building these new stadiums,” York said in a conference call .
“They’ve shown that by clearly addressing G3, and while I don’t know all of the details about it, it is clearly an improvement and an expanded G3. So that will help in our efforts to get the stadium done.”
Moreover, York said it would have been even more complicated to get a new stadium if the future of the league were shrouded in uncertainty.
“Clearly, when you are talking about trying to do something that is a big financial package, a financial institution is going to have problems if there is not labor peace,” York said.
The CBA extension, which owners approved during a meeting Wednesday evening in Texas, will add $7.5 million to this year’s salary cap. The 49ers, at approximately $21 million under the cap, are in good shape entering the free-agent signing period, which begins today at 9:01 p.m.
“We had cap room before and this obviously gives us more cap room,” York said. “How that gets approached, I’ll leave to (coach) Mike Nolan and (vice president of player personnel) Scot McCloughan. They are going to do everything they can to improve the team.”
Asked if he was giving Nolan and McCloughan free reign to spend money to lure free agents, York answered, “Free reign under the guidelines of the salary cap. It’s their decisions.”
The 49ers have already made one big move, re-signing linebacker Derek Smith on Monday. Smith received a three-year, $14 million contract extension that includes a $6 million signing bonus, according to documents filed with the NFL Players Association.
