Photo courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers
April Fools: George Kittle tries to prank 49ers fans with trade news
Apr 1, 2021 at 12:27 PM
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Trust nothing.
No, I am not talking about the pre-draft chatter that the San Francisco 49ers are locked in on Alabama quarterback Mac Jones with the No. 3 overall pick. Although, I tend not to trust pre-draft chatter either. I am talking about April Fools' Day.
Sorry,
George Kittle. No one is falling for this one.
The 49ers' All-Pro tight end tweeted out the following, hoping to fool some gullible fans by suggesting that he had been traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He even included a mock-up of himself in his new uniform.
The Jaguars even responded.
Kittle, 27, did get some good news today, though. No foolin'. The tight end saw all of his $11.45 million base salary for 2022
become fully guaranteed. Before today, only about $6.4 million of next year's base salary was guaranteed.
The 49ers showed Kittle how important he is to the team's future by signing the tight end to a five-year, $75 million contract extension last August. While head coach Kyle Shanahan joked on Monday that general manager John Lynch might even consider trading him if the price was right, it is unlikely the team is eagerly seeking to unload its offensive cornerstone.
Kittle appeared in eight games last season, catching 48 passes for 634 yards with two touchdowns. That followed two consecutive seasons of recording over 1,000 yards receiving.
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