Good injury news: George Kittle returns to practice

There is no doubt in NFL Insider Ian Rapoport's mind that George Kittle will eventually become the highest-paid tight end in NFL history. That hasn't happened yet because talks between Kittle and the San Francisco 49ers have stalled. While Kittle plays the tight end position, he is so much more. He is the 49ers' best receiver and one of their best blockers. Kittle can do it all, so he and his agent aren't using the tight end market to determine his value. Some have speculated that Kittle's agent could be seeking a contract that is somewhere between offensive linemen and wide receiver money. That would put Kittle around $18 million annually, which

The San Francisco 49ers and George Kittle, or his representation, at least, are having a difficult time agreeing on the tight end's value. The team would like to lock up the versatile All-Pro to a long-term deal, but it's that versatility that has complicated things. Kittle is the 49ers' most valuable receiver. He is also one of the team's best blockers. To just look at the tight end market would be an injustice. He is so much more. Kittle's agent, Jack Bechta, has described his client as a "unicorn." "He's just one of a kind," Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area told Will Brinson on CBS Sports' Pick Six NFL Podcast. "And the thinking is that even though

Several San Francisco 49ers players took part in this week's State of the Franchise event. One of the topics of conversation surrounded the possibility of a Super Bowl hangover. As tough as it is for a Super Bowl champion to claw its way back to the mountaintop, it is even tougher for the runner-up. All too often, that second-place team will regress the next season, but 49ers players don't see that happening with this squad. Why is that? What makes this 49ers team so different from past Super Bowl runner-ups? What makes its players think that they can get back and win it all, this time? "I think it's the guys in our building and the leadership that we have," responded offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey during the conversation with Keiana Martin and Greg Papa. "It's