Kyle Juszczyk held his first media session Wednesday since signing a five-year, $27 million contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers earlier this week, and throughout his 20 minutes with reporters, the five-time Pro Bowl fullback had a number of interesting things to say. 49ers Webzone touched upon Juszczyk's media session earlier today by discussing his comments on staying in the Bay Area as well as his thoughts on the signing of Trent Williams, but Juszczyk talked about much more than that, as can be seen below.
Juszczyk also addressed the role that new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel had in his decision to stay with the 49ers, as well as why he decided early on that he'd end his free agency early if the 49ers gave him the contract he was looking for. Juszczyk also commented on the possibility of the NFL requiring players to take the COVID vaccine and much more. Here are six points of interest Juszczyk talked about during his Wednesday media session.
Juszczyk on McDaniel
Juszczyk has a close relationship with McDaniel, who has been with the 49ers as the run game coordinator in each of Juszczyk's four seasons with the team. McDaniel was promoted to offensive coordinator in January, which is a move Juszczyk couldn't be more excited about.
"I'm so happy for Mike and his promotion to OC," Juszczyk said. "He absolutely deserves it. I don't think there's anybody better-suited for that role, especially working for Kyle [head coach Kyle Shanahan] specifically. I feel like those two are just like one mind. They really do think so similarly and are able to complement each other so well."
Juszczyk and McDaniel regularly communicate over FaceTime and have the type of relationship that played a significant role in Juszczyk's decision to stay with the 49ers.
"My relationship with Mike had a huge, huge influence on me coming back because I'm extremely comfortable with him," Juszczyk said. "The guy, he was at my wedding. You saw my wife posted a FaceTime with him. That's a regular thing -- him and I FaceTiming offseason and in-season. I just feel he's a guy that I can talk to at any time and someone I have so, so much respect for in just the way he carries himself and the tremendous job that he does in putting together a game plan every week."
And, of course, Juszczyk is optimistic that the relationship will result in a few more passes being thrown in his direction this season now that McDaniel has been given a larger role in the offense.
"I'm definitely hopeful that having my guy more involved in the passing game might get a few more looks my way," Juszczyk said. "That'll be something we see in the fall."
The decision was simple in the end
With Juszczyk at the end of the original four-year deal he signed with the 49ers in 2017, he came into the offseason with the opportunity to see what he was worth on the free-agent market. But Juszczyk decided early on that if the 49ers came up with the amount he was looking for, he'd happily sign on the dotted line to return. There was some temptation on Juszczyk's end to work the free-agent market a little harder than he did, but it made more sense for him to stay put given what he's experienced with the 49ers so far.
"I had a number in mind of if we could just reach that number, I would be happy and I would want to come back and not even delay the process," Juszczyk said. "I was somewhat interested in seeing what my number would be out there on the market, but at the end of the day, I found a number that I was happy with, comfortable with. And honestly, there's no better fit in the league for me than in San Francisco, just to be completely honest. Kyle, he puts together a perfect system for me to play in.
"For me to go anywhere else and have to uproot my life really, sell my house in California, find a new spot, have all new teammates, begin the whole process over again, this late in my career, there was a certain part of me that didn't really want to do that. So if I could get that number I was happy with in San Francisco, I was just going to roll with it and continue in a place I was so happy to be in."
Joyous celebration
Juszczyk had a couple of good FaceTime moments on Saturday when it became apparent he'd be staying with the 49ers. The first came with head coach Kyle Shanahan and his wife, followed by a discussion with general manager John Lynch, who was in attendance at team owner Jed York's 40th birthday party. Juszczyk wouldn't provide too many details on York's party or how rowdy things might have gotten, but he was appreciative of the love everyone sent his way.
"The phone got passed around, a lot of congratulations, a lot of cheers, all those sorts of things. I guess I'll just leave it at that," Juszczyk said. "It was all good, fun things. Honestly, it's so cool to be a part of that, to get FaceTimes from your owner, from your GM, from your head coach, and speak with their families and be comfortable. It's like I'm speaking with my own family. It's not one of those awkward conversations that's just, 'Yes sir, yes sir, we're going to do great, sir.' It's just real conversations and real genuine joy, and that's why I feel so connected to this program."
Juszczyk the recruiter
As he first mentioned Tuesday in a discussion with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Juszczyk has been doing his part to help the 49ers over the past few days by talking to other players about signing with the team. Juszczyk talked to offensive lineman Trent Williams before Williams agreed to a six-year deal after midnight on Wednesday morning and is hoping his words may have helped push Williams in the right direction (in addition to the 138 million other reasons the 49ers threw Williams' way).
"I've made some phone calls," Juszczyk said. "I've shot out some texts. I try to keep it casual, not be overbearing, try to work my way in there, tell them I'm happy with whatever happens, but just so you know, if you were here, you could be that final piece that puts us over the top. I've definitely sent out a few of those. I don't think it was my text to Trent Williams that got him to sign. I think it might have been the ($138 million). But I'm going to tell myself that the few text messages that we had might have been the icing on the cake and what got him to finally make his decision."
Vaccination conversation
A report earlier this week from NFL writer Peter King of NBC Sports stated that the NFL and NFL Players Association have discussed the possibility of requiring players to take the COVID-19 vaccine before the start of the season, although whether or not the players would be receptive to that requirement remains to be seen. Juszczyk didn't have too many thoughts on that issue when asked but did say he'd be on board if the league went in that direction.
"I haven't put a ton of thought into that," Juszczyk said. "It has crossed my mind whether or not the NFL would require us to do so. Honestly, it's something that I'm open to. If that's something that everyone needs to feel comfortable on the field, then by all means. I'm not going to be one of the guys opting out. But as far as if I support it or if I've heard anything about it, I honestly don't know too much and we haven't really heard anything about it. So that's kind of a mystery to me. But if that's something we need to do to get on the field, then let's go ahead and do it."
Ready to get going
There's still a lot of offseason left as well as some free time waiting for him in the summer, but Juszczyk sounded ready Wednesday to get back on the field right now. Juszczyk told reporters that the frustration he experienced during the 49ers' 6-10 2020 season has him as anxious as ever to get a new season underway.
"I would definitely say so," Juszczyk said. "Just because the way the season went and how it ended, it left a bad taste in your mouth. The only way to get rid of that taste is to get back on the field and start playing. So, that's definitely something that's been driving me already."
