How COVID-19 could impact 49ers TE George Kittle’s contract negotiations, NFL salary cap

We are in uncertain times. The NFL plans to release its full 17-week regular-season schedule for 2020 on Thursday, but who knows where the country will be when September arrives?

It is possible that NFL games this year are played in empty stadiums or that part of the schedule (at least) could be canceled altogether. While the league is moving forward as if there will be a full slate of games, no one, at this point, really knows if that will actually happen.

With a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in place, and the ability to move forward with television negotiations, the salary cap was expected to jump after the 2020 season. However, the lack of fans in the seats would impact league revenue, which could affect future salary-cap limits.

The San Francisco 49ers have made a contract extension for All-Pro tight end George Kittle a priority this offseason. He is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and some wonder if his agent would even allow him to step on a practice field—whenever that can happen—without a new contract in place.

General manager John Lynch said last month that the team tried to get a deal done early on but wasn't able to come to an agreement ... yet. Still, he envisions Kittle being a Niner for the foreseeable future.

"George isn't going anywhere," Lynch said. "We're going to work hard to try to get it done. I think they've got motivation just to really reset the tight end market, as do we, for him. It's just finding that sweet spot, where that is.

"Like I said, he's not going to go anywhere. When that happens? I don't know. But we're working hard, as are they, to try to make that happen. George is going to be a part of the 49ers for a long, long time."

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated's The MMQB joined KNBR on Tuesday and explained how the coronavirus (COVID-19) could impact the way NFL teams spend money on players this offseason.

"I asked around: What would a season without fans look like?" Breer told Greg Papa and John Lund. "The response I got is it would probably take about an average of $100 million in local revenue off the table for teams. To put that into perspective, 48 percent goes to the players, so that's $48 million coming out of the salary cap in 2021.

"Obviously, when you're talking about cutting the schedule down, now you're getting into TV money, and that now, also, would have an impact."

Breer goes on to explain that any alteration to the schedule could have an impact on the salary cap. He notes that this doesn't necessarily mean the cap number for each team would drop by nearly $50 million. The league could borrow from future salary caps or from benefits, but that would also mean the maximum limit might not spike after this year, as expected.

"I think for that reason, guys, you could see some teams just going forward a little more cautiously as far as long-term negotiations with players over the next few months," Breer continued.

The writer doesn't specifically mention Kittle but instead uses Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes as an example. However, what he said could still apply to negotiations with Kittle.

Added Breer: "It doesn't mean a Patrick Mahomes won't get signed, but certainly, I think, with other players that are in line to get paid at the top of the market (like Kittle -- at least at the top of the tight end market), I think some teams might want to push the pause button a little bit to see what this is going to look like over the next few months."

Kittle is scheduled to earn just over $2.1 million this year. Hunter Henry currently earns the highest average salary among NFL tight ends at $10.6 million (it's actually just a one-year deal), and Kittle is expected to significantly eclipse that number.

Whatever number the 49ers come up with for Kittle, and they seem confident a deal will get done, most feel it will be worth every penny. The tight end is one of the roster's most recognizable faces and one of its most talented players.

You can listen to the entire conversation with Breer below.