According to Michael Silver, the 49ers and TE George Kittle are making progress on an extension that would make him the NFL’s highest-paid tight end by a good margin.
Matt Maiocco also reported league sources indicated to him no deal had been reached, but the two sides were making “healthier progess” toward a deal.
A report from SI.com’s Grant Cohn indicated the two sides were close on a deal that would have paid Kittle nearly $16 million per season and would be announced by San Francisco Friday. Kittle himself appeared to refute that report though.
https://twitter.com/gkittle46/status/1293632943160614912
Kittle’s agent, Jack Bechta, characterized contract negotiations as moving very slowly to Silver previously, texting him an inchworm emoji a few days ago. Silver had reported a couple of weeks ago there was a significant disconnect between the two sides.
According to Silver, the 49ers are willing to reset the tight end market and give Kittle a strong contract. However, Kittle views himself as more than just a tight end.
The state of the tight end market is one complicating factor, per Rapoport. Franchise-tagged Chargers TE Hunter Henry currently leads the position at $10.6 million and the Browns signed TE Austin Hooper to a deal this offseason that averaged $10.5 million a year.
Kittle’s agent, though, appears to be pushing for a significant change to the market on behalf of his client, arguing Kittle’s impact as a receiver alone should push him toward the second tier of the wide receiver market at around $16 million a year.
“I knew it might be tricky because of the position he plays & finding the right number,” 49ers GM John Lynch said previously. “People should be encouraged we’ve had tremendous talks with his representative and we work real well together.”
Lynch has remained steadfastly optimistic the two sides will be able to work something out to keep Kittle in San Francisco.
Kittle, 26, is a former fifth-round pick of the 49ers out of Iowa back in 2017. He’s entering the final year of his four-year, $2.69 million contract and stands to make a base salary of $735,000 in 2020.
In 2019, Kittle appeared in 14 games for the 49ers and caught 85 passes for 1,053 yards receiving and five touchdowns.
We’ll have more on Kittle as the news is available.
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