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The 49ers Could Extend George Kittle's Deal Before Brock Purdy's Deal

Kittle arguably is the best player on the 49ers, and tight ends aren't expensive. His extension will cost the 49ers a mere fraction of what they're paying Aiyuk.
Grant Cohn|
Jan 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (left) with tight end George Kittle (85) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jan 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (left) with tight end George Kittle (85) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

This offseason, the 49ers could give Brock Purdy an extension that would make him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL. But before they even consider doing that, they need to extend George Kittle's contract.

Kittle is entering the final season of his deal and his salary cap number currently is greater than $22 million. Last season, it was $12.2 million. As soon as the 49ers extend him, which they almost certainly will, his cap number for 2025 will decrease dramatically and the 49ers will create lots of cap space they could use to re-sign certain players or bring in new ones.

That's why the 49ers should extend Kittle as soon as possible. They know they need him to carry the passing offense now that Deebo Samuel will get traded or released and Brandon Aiyuk will miss some of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL and MCL.

So extend Kittle before free agency starts. Create the cap space in time to use it this year and improve the roster. Don't wait until OTAs. By then, all the good free agents will have signed contracts.

Kittle arguably is the best player on the 49ers, and tight ends aren't expensive. His extension will cost the 49ers a mere fraction of what they're paying Aiyuk.

Get it done. Then worry about Brock Purdy. His $5.2 million cap number isn't preventing the 49ers from signing any free agents, plus he's coming off a down season. Don't reward mediocrity.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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