SANTA CLARA, California – The San Francisco 49ers make George Kittle the highest paid finisher in NFL history. By many.
The Niners and Kittle voted on a five-year Thursday, $ 75 million, confirmed sources to ESPN. It includes a $ 18 million signing bonus, $ 30 million guaranteed upon signing and $ 40 million guaranteed for injury, a source told ESPN.
The deal’s specifications were first reported by Barstool Sports.
The deal, which was expected for most of the entire season, comes easily over with the four-year, $ 42 million contract that Austin Hooper signed with the Cleveland Browns in March, which was the previous biggest deal for a tight end .
But Kittle, who ranks NFL players as the seventh-best player in the league, despite ranking this summer, deserves a deal that will put the market back on top close ends.
The Niners and Kittle went through a lengthy contract negotiation – which began after the Super Bowl and was complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic – to reach the agreement.
While Niners general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan insisted they wanted to get a deal with Kittle, the potential for a lack of revenue without fans in the stands arose and the ensuing salary dropped uncertainty about how to structure a potential deal and how Kittle’s contract may fit as it progresses.
Both sides were able to step through and get to the finish line when Kittle reported to camp and participated in all team activities without so much as a threat of a holdout. Because the sides remained mean throughout the process, Lynch and Shanahan remained optimistic that a deal would be made when the Niners camp opened.
“I think we don’t have to say how important George is to us and not only if the best tight end is for me in the league, but also the type of person he is,” Shanahan said on August 3. “That, we do everything we can to make that happen … … I feel really good about this going forward and I feel very optimistic about it. Hopefully something will happen sooner rather than later. However, I’m there. not too worried about that, though. “
Kittle has racked up 2,454 receiving yards – the most by any tight end in NFL history after three seasons, and Mike Ditka and Rob Gronkowski topped. In 2018, Kittle set the record for most receiving yards in a season by a tight end when he finished with 1,377. In the past two seasons, Kittle has finished sixth in the NFL among all passers with 2,430 receiving yards, is 11th with 173 receiving yards and is second with 1,464 yards after catching.
In addition to his receiving prowess, Kittle is also widely regarded as one of the best blocking tight ends in the league. In two games without him in 2019, the 49ers averaged 2.63 yards per carry and 60.5 rushing yards without a stroke on the ground. In the 14 games he played, the Niners averaged 4.83 yards per carry and 156 rushing yards per game with 23 rushing touchdowns.
All of which earned Kittle a Pro Bowl nod in each of the past two seasons, an All-Pro spot in second team in 2018 and an All-Pro spot in first team in 2019.
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