San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle became the highest-paid tight end in the NFL by inking a four-year, $76.4 million deal that includes $40 million guaranteed. Interestingly, the 49ers star is set to earn $19.1 million on average over the next four seasons.
Advertisement
In his eighth season in the NFL, Kittle proved to be a productive force once again. He had 78 receptions for 1,106 yards and eight receiving touchdowns last season. Kittle was first in yards per game, second in touchdowns, third in receiving yards, and fifth in receptions amongst tight ends this past season.
Speaking about Kittle’s new deal on the Pat McAfee Show, host Pat McAfee spoke about the five highest-paid tight ends in the NFL today. He thinks Kelce, at No. 3, making $17.1 million per season, is ‘seemingly underpaid.’
“Did we talk about George Kittle at all last year? He is first in yards per game at tight end. Now obviously, this has Travis Kelce having a downer year last year and everything else like that….Travis Kelce now seemingly underpaid even though he signed his deal last offseason,” McAfee outlined.
Notably, Kelce signed a two-year extension prior to the 2024 season for $34.25 million. At the time, it made him the league’s highest-paid tight end. But it is not the case anymore.
White McAfee may think Kelce is underpaid, one could think the opposite. His production has gone done in each of the last two seasons, failing to reach 1,000 receiving yards in each season. Travis even failed to average over 8.5 yards per catch this season.
Kittle on the other hand has averaged over 14 yards a catch in each of the last two seasons and has recorded back-to-back 1000-yard seasons. Trey McBride, the second-highest paid tight end, had over 100 catches and over 1,000 receiving yards last season.
Meanwhile, beyond the TE comparisons there are more layers to the Kittle saga. And it involves the 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy’s contract situation, who too is “seemingly underpaid.”
What does George Kittle’s deal mean for quarterback Brock Purdy?
The San Francisco 49ers may not be done extending their own this offseason. Quarterback Brock Purdy is due for a contract extension and is expected to land an extension before the start of the season.
After news broke that the 49ers extended Kittle, multiple news outlets and reporters suggested that Purdy will land a deal soon, such as Ari Meirov. Purdy, according to multiple sources, is expected to land a contract north of $50 million per season.
The 2022 Mr. Irrelevant pick has started for the 49ers since the end of the 2022 season. In three seasons in the NFL, he has a 23-12 record and has led San Fran to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023. He’s thrown for 9,518 yards, 64 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions in his career.
The 49ers have moved on from several key members from last year’s roster. The team has traded/released/or lost the following players in free agency: Deebo Samuel, Jordan Mason, Dre Greenlaw, Talano Hufanga, Charvarius Ward, and many others.
After an injury-ridden 2024-25 season, it is key for them to extend Purdy this offseason. But it remains to be seen whether Purdy is their next target following George Kittle’s extension.
