Will George Kittle Show Up to 49ers OTAs Without an Extension?

It's a reset year, not an all-in year.

Mar 3, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; San Francisco 49's tight end George Kittle watches a game between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The 49ers have to decide how badly they want George Kittle to attend OTAs this year.

The Arizona Cardinals clearly want Trey McBride to attend their OTAs -- that's why they just got his extension finalized. They're serious about contending this year. Are the 49ers?

They just gutted their roster so they could save enough cash to extend Kittle and Brock Purdy. However, gutting the roster cost roughly $85 million in dead cap penalties. And they signed no one of note during free agency. So it's fair to wonder just how good the 49ers truly expect to be in 2025.

It's a reset year, not an all-in year.

Which means the 49ers might not feel desperate to wrap up Kittle's extension before OTAs start. They prefer to take their time with big extensions, anyway.

Kittle is one of the leaders on the team, so having him in the facility for Phase 1 of OTAs would show the rest of the roster how serious this season is. Because Kittle would set the standard for everyone else.

In addition, having Kittle on the practice field would help other players improve, because "iron sharpens iron" as football people say. That means good players make other good players better the more they practice against each other.

Kittle most likely wants $20 million per season considering that would make him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. McBride just signed for $19 million per season. We know the 49ers will give Kittle what he wants eventually.

So give it to him now and kick off OTAs the right way.