SANTA CLARA, Calif.– The San Francisco 49ers are making George Kittle the highest-paid tight end in NFL history. By a lot.
The Niners and Kittle concurred to a five-year, $75 million contract on Thursday, league sources validated to ESPN.
The deal was first reported by Barstool Sports, which reports Kittle received $40 million ensured for injury and $30 million guaranteed at signing.
The offer, which had been anticipated for most of the offseason, easily exceeds the four-year, $42 million contract Austin Hooper signed with the Cleveland Browns in March and resets the marketplace for top tight ends.
The $40 million ensured is more than two times that of any other NFL tight end, and the $30 million ensured at signing, which includes an $18 million signing perk, likewise is a record amount– $12 million more than Hooper got.
1 RelatedThe Niners and Kittle went through a lengthy contract negotiation, which started after the Super Bowl and was made complex by the coronavirus pandemic. The potential for a revenue shortage from playing games without any fans in the stands– and a taking place salary-cap drop– created unpredictability about how to structure a potential deal.
Kittle reported to training school and took part in all group activities without so much as a risk of a holdout. Since the sides remained amicable throughout the procedure, basic supervisor John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan stayed optimistic that an offer would get done as the Niners opened camp.
” I believe we dont need to say how crucial George is to us, and not just as being the very best tight end to me in the league, but likewise the kind of person he is,” Shanahan said on Aug. 3. “So were doing whatever we can to get that done. … I feel truly good about this going forward, and I feel extremely optimistic about it. Hopefully, something will occur earlier than later. Im not too concerned about it.”
This summer, NFL gamers ranked Kittle as the seventh-best gamer in the league, no matter position. He has actually racked up 2,945 receiving yards– the most by any tight end in NFL history after 3 seasons, exceeding Mike Ditka and Rob Gronkowski. In 2018, Kittle set the record for a lot of receiving lawns in a season by a tight end when he ended up with 1,377.
Over the past 2 seasons, Kittle ranks sixth in the NFL among all pass-catchers with 2,430 getting lawns, 11th with 173 receptions and 2nd with 1,464 backyards after the catch.
Beyond his receiving expertise, Kittle is extensively considered among the very best stopping tight ends in the league. In two video games without him in 2019, the 49ers balanced 2.63 backyards per carry and 60.5 hurrying lawns with no touchdowns on the ground. In the 14 games he played, the Niners balanced 4.83 lawns per carry and 156 rushing lawns per video game with 23 rushing touchdowns.
All of that made Kittle a Pro Bowl nod in each of the previous two seasons, a second-team All-Pro spot in 2018 and a first-team All-Pro spot in 2019.
This summer season, NFL gamers ranked Kittle as the seventh-best gamer in the league, regardless of position. He has racked up 2,945 getting yards– the most by any tight end in NFL history after three seasons, surpassing Mike Ditka and Rob Gronkowski. In 2018, Kittle set the record for a lot of getting yards in a season by a tight end when he ended up with 1,377.
Beyond his receiving expertise, Kittle is extensively regarded as one of the finest stopping tight ends in the league.
