The San Francisco 49ers have signed rookie tight end George Kittle, who played college football at Iowa. He was selected with the second pick in the fifth round (146 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Kittle redshirted in 2012 and was a reserve in 2013 and 2014. In 2015, he got more playing time, starting six of Iowa's 14 games and catching 20 passes for 290 yards and a team-high six touchdowns. Last year, Kittle was an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick after starting 11 games and catching 22 passes for 314 yards and four touchdowns despite being limited by a foot injury the second half of the season.
Thanks to the 2011 CBA, all rookie contracts are now for a length of four years. Only first-round selections come with an option for a fifth year, which does not apply to Kittle. Having set numbers for each spot eliminates the need to negotiate salary and only leaves items like bonus payment terms, roster bonus allocations, and other miscellaneous structural items.
The total value of Kittle's four-year contract is believed to be $2,654,705, or very close to that amount, according to Spotrac.com. That includes a signing bonus of $299,705 and a 2017 salary cap figure of $539,926.