© Steve Mitchell | 2020 Jan 29
With the regular season now just a month away, George Kittle and the 49ers still haven’t worked out a new deal. They also, according to a report from Mike Silver, aren’t making much progress.
Silver said that Kittle agent Jack Bechta said as much during their latest correspondence, and reinforced the message with an emoji.
“I talked to Kittle’s agent Jack Bechta yesterday, he said progress has been minimal, and later reinforced that by texting me an inch worm emoji to underscore that fact,” Silver said. “It’s not just money, it’s structure, and how much money a player like George Kittle could get up front, and how much could actually be guaranteed.
“At the heart of this is sort of a philosophical divide between the 49ers who say listen ‘We want to pay you more than any tight end ever, because you’re the greatest tight end,’ and Kittle’s camp which is saying, ‘don’t view me as a tight end I was just voted the seventh best player in football at any position.’”
The latest on contract talks between @gkittle46 and the @49ers ? … from earlier on @nflnetwork @AndrewSiciliano pic.twitter.com/wWsHG1ZkG0
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) August 10, 2020
John Lynch told KNBR two weeks ago that the hold up with Kittle’s extension had more to do with the economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the team still plans on signing Kittle to an extension this offseason. The 49ers are scheduled to hit the field in full pads next week. Silver believes this week is pivotal for both sides to make progress.
“There’s a lot to pay attention to but I think this week will be a very pivotal week for George Kittle and the 49ers.”