The 49ers tight end may be in the middle of a contract dispute.
The biggest headline for the San Francisco 49ers this offseason has been the impending contract extension for quarterback Brock Purdy, who is in line to earn a lucrative, multi-year deal in the coming months.
The timeline for that, however, is cloudy, which is becoming more and more important as the 49ers’ offseason program begins on Tuesday. Will Purdy show up to practice? Or will the quarterback elect to stay away from the team as he looks for a new deal?
“There has been some progress toward a multi-year extension for [Brock] Purdy that will likely pay him more than $50 million a year,” The Athletic’s Mike Silver reported on Monday. “The question is, how much progress? If Purdy shows up on Tuesday, it’s a sign that he and his agent believe they are very close to striking a deal. If he doesn’t, that probably indicates that some significant obstacles remain. As of now, no decision has been made.”
Purdy’s average annual salary on his new deal has been a big talking point, as many are questioning how high the 49ers are willing to go on a contract extension. Currently, a salary of $50 million per year would rank 11th among quarterbacks in the NFL.
Key points in extension talks could be deals that have come together for other quarterbacks over the last two offseasons. Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence, and Joe Burrow each got $55 million per year on their respective deals. And Tua Tagovailoa and Jared Goff both got at least $53 million per year on their extensions last offseason.
Purdy isn’t the only one dealing with extension talks for the 49ers this offseason. San Francisco has also looked to extend linebacker Fred Warner, who is entering year four of a five-year, $95 million deal, and tight end George Kittle, who is heading into the final year of his five-year, $75 million contract.
What is the latest on both of those situations?
“[Fred] Warner and the 49ers have yet to have any substantive talks about a possible extension, but the veteran team leader is likely to report,” Silver continued. “[George] Kittle, heading into the final year of a five-year, $75-million deal, is much more of a longshot, as he and the 49ers remain far apart in discussions about a new deal.”
Warner signed his five-year deal a few days before training camp back in 2021, but there weren’t many hiccups with his contract, as the 49ers weren’t battling many other teams in the linebacker market.
Kittle, on the other hand, had a strenuous negotiation with the 49ers for his five-year deal back in 2020. Since getting his $15 million-per-year deal, though, Kittle has been leapfrogged by Arizona’s Trey McBride (4 years, $76 million), Travis Kelce (2 years, $34.25 million), and Minnesota’s T.J. Hockenson (4 years, $66 million).
McBride’s is the most recent deal, resetting the tight end market, and could be the baseline for Kittle’s next deal, as the 49ers star is still arguably the best tight end in the NFL.
His not reporting for the offseason program would be a big deal, as it signifies another player where the 49ers have not gotten an extension done early and have been hurt as a result.
The 2025 NFL Draft is just a few days away, but it seems the 49ers have their hands full this offseason with contract negotiations yet again.