George Kittle to Receive Contract Extension this Week?

The sweet spot.

John Lynch was obsessed with it last time he talked to the media. Said the 49ers and George Kittle had to find one in their contract-extension negotiations. And it seemed questionable whether a sweet spot was indeed findable. The two sides seemed far far apart.

Until now.

Lynch went on KNBR in San Francisco Tuesday morning and said he’s “hopeful” Kittle and the 49ers will reach an agreement soon.

“As this pandemic has hit, it has caused a lot of economic uncertainty,” Lynch said. “We were waiting for some of that certainty to guide us in how we structure a deal. Now we have that information. It continues to come in. We’ve traded ideas and things and we’re really hopeful. No updates as of right now. But I can tell you we’re working in earnest, because it’s very important to us and very important to them that we agree, because he loves being a 49er.”

Translation: The 49ers and Kittle couldn’t see eye to eye until both sides knew roughly how much the salary cap would go down in 2021. Now that they know, discussions have picked up.

Sounds reasonable and promising.

Lynch went on: “George is under contract this year, so I knew that it might be tricky because of the position he plays and things of that nature, finding the right number. We really have. I think people should be encouraged. We have had tremendous talks -- I don’t want to say progress -- but talks with his representative, and we work real well together. I think it’s our job not to be adversaries, but to work as partners to make the right deal, and that’s what we’ve tried to do. I don’t think there’s anything to be discouraged about. Hopefully, we can share some good news at some point. I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t be able to.”

Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems Lynch said he and Kittle’s agent have agreed on a number for his extension. Lynch was careful not to speak for Kittle’s agent, and stopped short of saying the two sides have made progress toward a deal, but it sure seems like they’ve reached a sweet spot.

I expect the 49ers will greet Kittle with a contract extension as soon as he passes his Covid 19 tests and they let him in the facility. Meaning sometime this weekend.

If they don’t give him an extension by then, things could get weird.

But Lynch sounds optimistic, so I am, too.

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