Veteran tackle Colton McKivitz ready for a fight during 49ers contract year

SANTA CLARA —It is common for offensive and defensive linemen to engage in one-on-one pass-rush battles on back-to-back snaps during training camp&period;But what Colton McKivitz and Nick Bosa did organically at the outset of 49ers practice Tuesday was unique&period;Bosa, a five-time Pro Bowl player, got the upper hand against McKivitz on their first head-to-head matchup with a spin move that put McKivitz on the ground&period;McKivitz was the winner of the next rep just moments later when Bosa was off-balance at the snap of the ball and could not recover&period;Apparently not pleased with the quality of that performance, Bosa indicated he wanted another chance against McKivitz&period;The third time showcased a competitive tussle in which McKivitz grappled with Bosa to the point it was difficult to assign a winner&period;That sequence summed up what McKivitz recently revealed to NBC Sports Bay Area about his mindset for the season&period;“A key word that I’m using this year is, ‘Fight,’” McKivitz said&period; “I do a lot better when things are kind of hectic and in chaos and when I’m fighting for something&period; I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself to make things a little more chaotic&period;”McKivitz, who turns 29 on Aug&period; 9, enters his third season as the 49ers’ unchallenged starter at right tackle&period; He is in a fight for his next contract&period;McKivitz is in the final year of his contract&period; A strong season could set him up for a lucrative multi-year contract — with the 49ers or one of the many NFL teams looking for help on the offensive line&period;Sure, he is fighting for a contract&period; But he also is fighting for so much more, he said&period;“With everything in life, when things get hard, don’t quit, fight through it, persevere,” he said&period; “But then, fight for more&period; Don’t get complacent&period; I mean, I saw what happened when I got complacent&period; Four years ago, I got cut, and, for me, that’s always been a thing that’s kind of haunted me&period; But now it’s something that I’m using as I move forward&period;”The 49ers selected McKivitz in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of West Virginia&period; He appeared in 14 games as a rookie, with three starts&period;He knew he was not a sure thing to win a spot on the 53-man to begin his second year in the NFL&period; McKivitz competed against veteran Tom Compton for a backup spot behind starters Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchey&period;Coach Kyle Shanahan called McKivitz into his office on cut-down day&period; And that led to an awkward exchange&period;“Kyle was like, ‘Hey you know why you’re here, right&quest;’ And I was like, ‘Yeah&period;’ And then he says, ‘You didn’t make the team&period;’“But I thought he said, ‘You made the team&period;’ So I let out a big gasp and said, ‘Oh, thank God&excl;”“Then, he said, ‘No, you didn’t hear me right&period; You got cut&period;’ And I just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible&period;”McKivitz initially hoped he could just close that chapter of his time with the 49ers and go somewhere else for a fresh start&period; But he did not find a new team, and the 49ers brought him back to the practice squad&period;“You can get pretty jaded,” McKivitz said&period; “You can think, ‘They don’t want me; they don’t think good enough; I don’t want to be here; I hate this place and get mad at people&period;’“And that was me for a couple weeks&period; And then I turn that into, you know, I get to go against Bosa every day, and I can use him to help forge me into a better player&period;”It is all part of the mental game that McKivitz is developing along with working on his strength, conditioning and lowering his body fat leading into this season&period;“I made myself take my shirt off during workouts,” McKivitz said&period; “It’s like, if you don’t like what you’re seeing, do something about it&period; Put it all out there&period; That’s just a lot of mental growth&period; I’ve learned to love myself&period;”McKivitz works regularly with Tareq Azim, who founded the Empower Performance Institute&period; Azim assists him in “game-planning for life,” McKivitz said&period; He has also taken the initiative to work with youth to share the lessons he has learned — many lessons learned the hard way&period;Just prior to the start of training camp, McKivitz mentored a group of young men in the CM68 Trenches Youth Empowerment Camp, including a challenging quad workout up San Francisco’s Russian Hill&period;McKivitz is coming off a season in which he allowed just two quarterback sacks while starting all 17 games&period; PFF graded him tied for 12th among all NFL right tackles&period;Coincidentally, his grade was the same as McGlinchey, who left the 49ers in 2023 to sign with the Denver Broncos on a contract that pays him an average salary of &dollar;17&period;5 million&period;McKivitz enters the final year of a deal that averages &dollar;5&period;85 million a year&period;He said he is ready to fight this season to be recognized as a top right tackle in the NFL&period;“I’m going to be a Pro Bowler this year,” he said&period; “I’ve told countless people&period; I’m just putting it out there just because that’s going to hold me accountable and get me to where I want to go&period;“If you don’t fight for it, you won’t get it&period;”Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast

Veteran tackle Colton McKivitz ready for a fight during 49ers contract year

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