The 49ers finally paid one of their own after a tumultuous offseason.
The team agreed to an extension with star tight end George Kittle for four years and $76.4 million. The $19.1 million in average annual value makes Kittle the highest-paid tight end in NFL history. Kittle announced the deal on the “Bussin With The Boys” podcast.
Kittle’s extension has $40 million in guaranteed money, $35 million of which came at signing and $5 million in 2027. It likely lowers his 2025 cap hit, which was set to be over $22 million. The 31-year-old has played all eight NFL seasons with the Niners and the extension puts him on track to be the team’s first player to play 10 consecutive seasons for the franchise since offensive lineman Joe Staley in 2017.
Kittle did not show up to the team’s voluntary workouts Monday, indicating that the two sides were still negotiating, but he showed up Friday.
The decision to extend to Kittle is the biggest commitment the 49ers have made this offseason to one of its veteran stars. General manager John Lynch has spent the offseason reshaping the roster, in part to clear salary cap space for a contract extension for quarterback Brock Purdy. The last pick in the 2022 draft, Purdy has been one of the NFL’s biggest bargains as he made just $985,000 this past season. His new deal could cost more than $50 million annually.
Wideout Deebo Samuel signed a three-year extension in 2022, but was traded to Washington in March because of the team’s reluctance to give him a new contract.
Veteran linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga both left in free agency for the Broncos. Greenlaw signed a three-year, $35 million deal while Hufanga signed a three-year deal for $45 million. Hufanga was a fifth-round find by Lynch in 2021 and played four seasons with the team.
In March the team waived fullback Kyle Juszczyk with two seasons left on his five-year, $27 million contract, which he signed in 2021 only to re-sign him a week later on a two-year deal worth $8 million.
