The good news for former 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman is that he instantly becomes a free agent upon his release, able to pick his next team (and, possibly, a contender). The better news is that his salary for 2017 is fully guaranteed, meaning that he’ll get the rest of the $6.75 million base salary he was due to receive this year. The best news is that he likely will be able to get all of that, plus keep whatever he gets elsewhere.
The guaranteed salary has offset language, which means that the 49ers would get a dollar-for-dollar credit for anything he earns elsewhere. However, Bowman has the right under the labor deal to collect the balance of his 2017 salary as termination pay, and to keep whatever he earns with another team.
It’s a potential “win-win” as one source explained it, adding that Bowman is “excited” about the development.
He should be. The 49ers have won two of 21 games over the past few years, and even if better days are coming they likely would have arrived after he was gone anyway. So it’s better to go now, get the rest of his guaranteed pay, pocket whatever else he can get with a new team, and chase the Super Bowl ring he nearly won in 2012 with the 49ers.