REPORT: 49ers and George Kittle "Not Close" to Contract Extension
Just a couple days ago, I thought the 49ers and George Kittle would finalize a contract extension this week.
Not so fast.
General manager John Lynch went on KNBR this Tuesday and said he was hopeful the 49ers would reach an agreement with Kittle soon, and Lynch’s optimism was convincing. But he also said there was no timetable for a deal.
There’s a reason he said that. Kittle and the 49ers still are far far apart from a contract extension, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“George Kittle did show up,” Rapoport said recently on the NFL Network. “No hold out there. And from what I understand, the two sides have had conversations, have negotiated a potentially-massive long-term deal that of course would make him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. From what I understand, though, it doesn’t feel like the two sides are particularly close on anything.”
That doesn’t sound good.
I’m guessing Rapoport heard Lynch on the radio, called Kittle’s agent, Jack Bechta, asked if he and the 49ers were close to a deal, and Bechta said, “No.”
I appreciate Lynch’s optimism, but it sure doesn’t sound like the 49ers have raised their offer significantly. It sounds like they expect Kittle eventually to lower his demands, because now he knows the salary cap will be much lower the next five seasons than we originally expected, because of the coronavirus. So the 49ers theoretically won’t have as much money they can give him.
Will Kittle indeed lower his demands?
I’m skeptical. It seems more likely he will play out his rookie deal, then see what he can get on the open market next year. That’s what I would do.
Rapoport had more to say: “Lynch is right -- they are trying, they have exchanged proposals, they have had discussions. And either way, it’s pretty clear, George Kittle, one of the most dynamic players in the NFL regardless of position, he is going to be the highest-paid tight end when this is all said and done. It’s really just a matter of how much. So they aren’t there yet, but he did show up. He is going to participate. All is good. They just simply have not hit a point where they can finish this out. We will see if they are able to get this going as training camp continues, because obviously this is a clear focus for the 49ers.”
At this point, I have no idea what to expect. I want to think the 49ers will do the right thing and give Kittle his extension, because this offseason they’ve done right by Lynch, Kyle Shanahan, Raheem Mostert and Trent Williams -- remember, the 49ers gave Williams money up front and promised not to franchise tag him next year.
Now it’s Kittle’s turn, right?
Right?
