49ers & George Kittle Remain “Far Apart” In Extension Talks

Michael Silver of NFL Media reports that the 49ers and TE George Kittle remain “far apart” on a potential contract extension.

Kittle’s agent, Jack Bechta, tells Silver that a “tight-end deal” is a non-starter for them.

“I don’t care about the tight end market. I’m being paid to do a George Kittle deal,” Bechta said, per Silver.

The two parties had some preliminary contract talks in February, but Silvers says there haven’t been any discussions since then.

The 49ers have maintained that they want to sign Kittle long-term and he wants to remain in San Francisco. However, there’s reportedly still a ways to go before they get a deal done.

49ers GM John Lynch told Matt Maiocco of NBC Bay Area after the draft that he’s confident they’ll be able to get a long-term extension in place for Kittle.

“George is certainly a priority,” Lynch said. “I don’t anticipate – you never say never – but George is going to be Niner. We think too highly of him. I think he loves the (environment).

“We got to find the right deal and we’ll continue working towards that. We’re not going to put any timetable on that. But George is certainly is a priority for us. We love everything about him. We love everything he brings to the Niners.”

Lynch admits that there are some challenges with this contract, but both parties are motivated to get an agreement finalized “in due time.”

“Those are some of the challenges, I think,” Lynch said. “We understand that. And he understands that.

“These things aren’t easy. Oftentimes, they’re complex, but they’re doable. I know there’s motivation on both sides. And so I’m very confident in due time, we’ll get that done.”

Mike Garafolo previously reported that Kittle will “blow the lid off” the top of the tight end market and $13 million per season could end up being the floor for negotiations. 

Kittle, 26, is a former fifth-round pick of the 49ers out of Iowa back in 2017. He’s currently in the third year of his four-year, $2.69 million contract and made a base salary of $645,000 for the 2019 season.

Kittle is entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2020 and stands to make a base salary of $735,000.

In 2019, Kittle appeared in 14 games for the 49ers and caught 85 passes for 1,053 yards receiving and five touchdowns.