Maybe Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated wasn't completely off after all. Well-respected NFL insider Ian Rapoport, along with colleague Mike Silver, reports that the San Francisco 49ers and George Kittle are closing in on a massive contract extension that will make him the highest-paid tight end in football.
"A few small hurdles are left, but a well-deserved raise is coming," notes Rapoport.
The #49ers and All-Pro TE George Kittle are closing in on a massive, contract extension to make him the highest paid TE in the game by far, sources tell me and @MikeSilver. A few small hurdles are left, but a well-deserved raise is coming.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 13, 2020
Of course, this comes after Kittle seemingly shot down Cohn's report that the 49ers were set to announce a massive six-year extension on Friday worth up to $94.8 million. Cohn later defended his report during a podcast he hosts with his father, Lowell Cohn.
Maybe an announcement will come sooner. Rapoport, however, doesn't offer up any of the details of the contract, so we will have to wait to see what the actual figures end up being and the kind of impact they have on the salary cap.
One source reportedly close to the negotiations told David Lombardi of The Athletic that the initial report from Sports Illustrated was "incorrect across the board."
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area earlier today reported that the two sides had not reached an agreement but were making "healthier progress" toward a deal.
Silver also posted something similar earlier today.
Kittle is currently scheduled to earn $2.133 million this season, which is the last year of his rookie deal. An extension will pay him handsomely and lock him up for the foreseeable future.
Kittle is a two-time Pro Bowl selection and was named a first-team All-Pro after this past season. He has recorded back-to-back years of over 1,000 yards receiving and is widely considered to be the best tight end in football. Kittle set an NFL single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end in 2018 with 1,377 yards and was Pro Football Focus' highest-graded player from the 2019 season.