© Cary Edmondson | 2020 Jan 19
George Kittle will reportedly sign a lucrative, six-year extension on Friday. Assuming of course you don’t believe George Kittle.
Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated dropped a doozy on Wednesday, writing that a source has informed him the 49ers and Kittle have agreed to a six-year extension worth $94.8 million — or $15.8 million per season — which will be officially announced on Friday. The report is compelling in it’s specificity, with Cohn writing that 50 percent of the deal is guaranteed, $25 million will be a signing bonus and that it’s structured so the 49ers will only take a $10 million cap hit in 2021.
Adding to the legitimacy of the report is longtime NFL reporter Mike Silver, who said he has heard that the two sides have made progress this week on a deal, just days after reporting discussions had stalled.
But then there is Kittle himself, who quote tweeted a link to Cohn’s story with the message “Y’all believe everything you read on the internet huh” with an expressionless face emoji, in an attempt to throw water on the report.
Y’all believe everything you read on the internet huh ? https://t.co/2TcAdjKjN5
— George Kittle (@gkittle46) August 12, 2020
Kittle’s tweet doesn’t necessarily mean there is nothing to Cohn’s report, we’ve seen players discredit similar stories in the past as a negotiating tactic. It could also mean that the specifics aren’t entirely accurate but that the report is generally true.
Whatever the case, we’ll know come Friday.