With less than a month before the San Francisco 49ers are supposed to show up for training camp, it’s still unclear whether any of their leaders will be there.
Close winger George Kittle still has no further contract extension, which could cause him to hold on. Kittle held a conference call as part of a promotional campaign for Gatorade, and spoke about whether there was a chance he was not at the camp (h / t Matt Maiocco from NBC Bay Area):
“As a captain, I want to be there for my team and I have to show the right leadership skills”,
Kittle’s agent, Jack Bechta, was also on call and commented:
“At the end of the day, I hope the Niners will do the right thing and take good care of George as they should. But I trust the process. I will not comment on where we are, the numbers or anything like that. But I hope it’s done. “
We all hope it will be done, Jack. There is no doubt about the value of Kittle for the Niners. The 26-year-old finished with 85 catches for 1,053 yards and five touchdowns last season, but his impact goes beyond just picking up the passes. Kittle is among the most dominant blockers in the game at his post.
Kittle is expected to make just over $ 2 million this season and will command a massive raise. Cleveland Browns tight end Austin Hooper is the highest paid tight end in the league at $ 10.5 million a year, and he can’t hold Kittle’s candle as a player.
Kittle’s expansion could range between $ 14 million and $ 18 million per season. A stumbling block in the negotiations is the impact of the economic fallout from the pandemic. The NFL salary cap will take a hit in the coming seasons, which will worry a team like the Niners, which is already close to the cap.
I am the confident general manager John Lynch and co. will do the trick, but it may take a while. Kittle is one of the centerpieces of the franchise and is expected to be in a 49ers uniform for many years to come.
Do you think Kittle and the 49ers will reach an agreement before the start of training camp?
