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Much of the San Francisco 49ers offseason discussion has surrounded the potential long-term extension for the team's All-Pro tight end,
George Kittle. The two sides reportedly tried to work something out in the weeks following the Super Bowl, but talks fell apart, and they
reportedly remain far apart in the negotiating process.
Kittle will eventually earn a big payday, and he will deserve every penny. But the uniqueness of his talent as a receiving threat, physical presence, and elite blocking, paired with the uniqueness of this strange offseason, have complicated things.
Many had expected the salary cap to increase significantly next year. Then COVID-19 hit. Now, no one is really sure what will happen. We don't even know if there will be fans in every NFL stadium when the regular-season kicks off in September or if the league will even meet that scheduled start.
So the wait on news of a Kittle deal continues.
In the meantime, the 49ers have a curiously large number of other players scheduled to hit free agency next offseason—big names like Richard Sherman,
Trent Williams,
Kyle Juszczyk, and many others.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic
recently took questions from fans and was asked, besides Kittle, who he expects to be the next Niner to receive an extension.
The 49ers beat writer threw out three names in his response — linebacker
Fred Warner, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, and running back Raheem Mostert.
"In addition, the 49ers probably would love to extend linebacker Fred Warner at the end of the upcoming season," wrote Barrows. "He'd only have one more year remaining on his rookie deal at that point. The 49ers also could ink extensions with two guys who could see new deals this year: Bourne and running back Raheem Mostert, who have outplayed their current contracts."
Bourne is among those scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next year. Warner and Mostert, however, won't hit free agency until 2022, at the earliest.
Mostert, of course, was a breakout player last season, especially in the playoffs. If you didn't know his name before, you did after he put up 220 rushing yards on 29 carries (7.6 yards per attempt) and four trips into the end zone against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game. Mostert nearly single-handedly pushed San Francisco to its Super Bowl appearance.
Barrows even believes that Mostert might see a new deal before the team's All-Pro tight end.
"Mostert, in fact, could see a deal get done ahead of Kittle's," added Barrows.
No deals are getting done right now. Typically, the 49ers would have at least a few of their draft picks locked up by this point in the offseason. With the salary cap future so murky, fans may have to continue waiting to hear anything on that front.
Kittle's agent would be well within his rights to refuse to allow his client to step onto a practice field without a new deal. The tight end is scheduled to earn just over $2.1 million in 2020.
Some speculate that his new deal could approach $20 million a year. An injury could hurt that.
There has been no on-field work, though. And none is expected until training camp in July, at the earliest. So at least that part has worked to the 49ers' advantage, and Kittle has been participating in the team's virtual offseason work.
"Kittle hasn't said a word about holding out or refusing to play," writes Barrows. "In fact, he's been taking part in all the voluntary virtual meetings the team has had so far. But he seems well within his right to refuse to play or even practice this year — the last year on his rookie contract — if a new deal isn't completed."
George Kittle recently spoke with ESPN during the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, where he joined other NFL stars for the golfing event. Of course, the conversation shifted toward football, with Laura Rutledge asking Kittle to reflect on the team's 2023 season, its Super Bowl defeat, and the motivation it provides for the upcoming season.
The tight end believes San Francisco maintained a competitive roster this offseason and is gearing up for another run at a championship. He emphasized the importance of maintaining good health and continual improvement for a successful upcoming season.
"Brock Purdy is a fantastic quarterback, and he's only going to get better because he's young," Kittle said. "And we were fortunate enough to be able to keep our entire
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have made it clear that they want WR Brandon Aiyuk to be a part of the San Francisco 49ers for the foreseeable future. It appears Aiyuk also wants to get something done, but all indications are that he isn't willing to take a hometown discount and the likelihood of playing on the last year of his deal without a holdout or trade request is slim.
Simply put: Aiyuk wants to get paid.
It's hard to blame him. A player's time in the NFL can be short and it takes just one hit to end a career. So, whether it's with the Niners or another team, Aiyuk will squeeze every penny out of what will most likely be his most lucrative professional contract. But is spending that much on a receiver a wise move for the franchise?
There are a
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, it's common for the rumor mill to start churning, especially with players who are actively seeking a new contract. It was just two short years ago that WR Deebo Samuel requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers prior to draft day, only for cooler heads to prevail and eventually agree to a new deal.
Now, it's WR Brandon Aiyuk's turn to try and get paid and rumors surfaced over the weekend that he too would request to be dealt. While that report was quickly shot down by his agent, there's still a lot of discussion about Aiyuk's future and if other teams will come calling on draft night.
Legendary columnist Mike Silver joined
It's evident that the San Francisco 49ers engaged in long-term financial planning. Much discussion has centered around the feasibility of the team committing significant financial resources to two wide receivers, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. Some skeptics question the wisdom of such heavy investment in a single position, especially considering that the 49ers handed Samuel a substantial three-year extension merely two years ago.
Adding complexity to this debate is the impending contract extension for quarterback Brock Purdy, positioning him to become the highest-paid player on the team. He will likely even become one of the NFL's highest-paid players. Where he ranks in average salary will depend upon whether he can replicate the stellar performance of his Pro Bowl 2023