SANTA CLARA, Calif. — 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 $76.4 million over four years with $35 million 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, $75 million 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 $19.1 million average annual value of the extension tops the previous record for a tight end of $19 million set earlier this offseason when Trey McBride signed an extension with Arizona. The $35 million 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 $50 million a year.
