George Kittle agreed to a four-year contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers that will make him the highest-paid tight end in NFL history.
Kittle announced the deal on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast on Tuesday, saying the extension was worth $76.4m over four years with $35m guaranteed at signing. The deal keeps Kittle under contract with San Francisco through the 2029 season.
The 49ers confirmed the deal with the only remaining member of the original draft class under coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
“In 2017, our first year with the 49ers, we selected a skinny tight end from Iowa whom we were really excited about. We had high hopes, but no one knew that he would become the player that he is today,” Lynch said in a statement. “George’s leadership, enthusiasm for the game, for his teammates, and the faithful are truly unique and special. He is an outstanding representation for the 49ers on the field and is an outstanding representative for the organization off the field with his investment in the local and military communities. He has a great sense of pride in his role and has put in the work to be one of the best tight ends in the NFL.”
The 31-year-old Kittle was entering the final year of a five-year, $75m extension that he signed in 2020. Kittle didn’t show up for the first few days of the team’s voluntary offseason program last week but arrived later in the week in a sign that a deal could get done soon.
The $19.1m average annual value of the extension tops the previous record for a tight end of $19m set earlier this offseason when Trey McBride signed an extension with Arizona. The $35m guaranteed to Kittle at the signing of the deal is also the most for any tight end.
After having several recent contract negotiations run deep into the summer, causing players like Deebo Samuel, Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams to miss at least some time in training camp, the Niners got this deal done with Kittle quickly.
They still have one more big contract extension to finalize this offseason: They are in talks with quarterback Brock Purdy about a deal that is expected to pay him more than $50m a year.
Kittle has been one of the best all-around tight ends since entering the league; he thrives as a receiver, a blocker and is one of the best at making big plays after the catch.
Kittle has been a first or second-team All-Pro five times in eight seasons and has made six Pro Bowls. His four seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving ranks tied for the second most of all time for a tight end, trailing only the seven for Kansas City’s Travis Kelce.
Kittle was a second-team All-Pro last season when he had 78 catches for 1,106 yards and eight TDs. Since being drafted in the fifth round in 2017, Kittle has had 538 catches for 7,380 yards and 45 TDs. He has the second-most yards ever for a tight end through eight seasons.
