George Kittle is more than an ordinary tight end. And it seems he wants to be paid like it.
Kittle is entering the final year of his rookie contract after a 2019 season earned him All-Pro honors. The two-time Pro Bowler has recorded 85 or more receptions and 1,000-plus yards in each of the last two seasons (nearly 1,400 yards in 2018).
That production will certainly lead Kittle to a big contract. But how big?
Well, Kittle’s agent, Jack Bechta, told NFL Network he’s hoping for a deal that does more than just make the San Francisco 49ers 2017 fifth-round pick the highest-paid tight end in football.
“I don’t care about the tight end market,” Bechta told NFL Network. “I’m being paid to do a George Kittle deal.”
Austin Hooper signed the largest tight-end contract — four years, $42 million — with the Cleveland Browns this offseason.
However, comments like that by Bechta certainly imply more than Kittle just resetting the tight end market. Kittle could, ultimately, be looking for compensation similar to that of a wide receiver. For reference, Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones and Dallas Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper signed contracts for $20 million or more per season.
The 26-year-old Kittle will earn $735,000 in 2020 on the final year of his rookie contract.
NFL Network reported there has been “no movement on extension talks since preliminary discussions in February and the two sides are ‘not close at all.'”
