Jay Glazer, in a recent mailbag for The Athletic, was asked by a fan what a fair price would be for San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle. The team is attempting to sign the All-Pro to a contract extension beyond his rookie deal, of which he is in the final year.
How do you pay someone like Kittle, though? Yes, he is widely considered to be the NFL's best tight end. Yes, he is one of the game's most entertaining young stars. Kittle is also the 49ers' best receiving threat and one of their best blockers. It's like having an extra offensive lineman out there who happens to be capable of hauling in a deep pass and scoring.
Kittle's agent, Jack Bechta, called his client a "unicorn." What does a unicorn earn in the NFL these days?
Glazer didn't provide a projected estimate but did have this to say:
"He's going to break the bank, and rightfully so. He's someone you don't have to worry about because he has a work ethic. He's not just trying to be famous, he's trying to be great. That's a big thing. Too many of these cats try to be famous instead of being great, not realizing that if you're great, you will be famous. George Kittle could have dominated in any generation or era. That's quite a rare find."
Kittle was recently ranked at No. 7 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020. He's only played three seasons in the NFL but has already been selected to two Pro Bowls and earned first-team All-Pro honors. Included in his back-to-back seasons of over 1,000 yards receiving was a campaign that saw Kittle set a new NFL single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end.
"We're working diligently (on Kittle's contract)," general manager John Lynch said this week. "I can tell you that. I'm not going to get into the timeframe. We are working diligently to come to a resolution. I've been on record saying what George means to this place."
Added head coach Kyle Shanahan: "We don't have to say how important George is to us, and not only [him] being the best tight end, to me, in the league but also the type of person he is. We're doing everything we can to get that done. I do feel good about it."