George Kittle Signs 5 year $75 Million Extension with the 49ers
The Contract
This is an absolute win-win for George Kittle and the 49ers. Let me break it down for you. George Kittle not only broke the bank, but left money on the table for the 49ers. He is a true team player. George Kittle just shattered the tight end contract record, which is extremely beneficial to him and everyone at his position. Currently the highest paid tight end is Hunter Henry on the franchise tag at $10.6 million followed by Austin Hooper who signed a long term deal at $10.5 million. Kittle just shattered their record numbers by $4.5 million. He also got over half of the money guaranteed which is means everything especially at the tight end position. For the 49ers, this was huge because you can argue that he's worth $20 million. I get that he is labeled as a tight end but he's so much more than that. He's the Christian McCaffrey of the tight end position. He's by far the best blocking tight end in the NFL, he takes guys on rides. He's so powerful while blocking you, you can't move or push against him. Kittle's taking you for a joyride, like it or not. I don't care if you're Danielle Hunter or Ricardo Allen, he's going to block you into the ground. He's also the 49ers best receiver. He might be the best player after the catch in the entire league. He also shows up in the biggest moments as we've seen against the Saints. The highest paid receiver in the NFL is Julio Jones at $22 million followed by Amari Cooper at $20 million. Kittle is absolutely worth $20 million, but by taking this team friendly deal it allows the 49ers to pay guys like Jaquiski Tartt, Richard Sherman, and Trent Williams whose deals expire next offseason.
Why George Kittle is the best tight end in the NFL
George Kittle is the best tight end in the NFL, and I don't think it's very close. Travis Kelce is awesome don't get me wrong, but he's not better than George Kittle. Let's compare the two. Let's start off with what system they're in, Kittle is with Kyle Shanahan and Kelce is with Andy Reid. Don't get me wrong, both are amazing coaches and know how to scheme their players into succeeding, but Kelce's receiving stats will almost always be better. He's going to have Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback for the rest of his career and he'll always be catching the ball down the field. That's why last season, Kelce's receiving stats looked better. Kittle's game is more focused around shorter passes and gaining yards after the catch. I'll say that Travis Kelce is a better route runner and does a better job at finding the holes of the defense. Kelce's been in the league longer, but Kittle isn't very far behind in both of these categories. His routes got a lot better this year, we saw what he did to the Packers on that corner-post route on Sunday Night Football. Kittle is also a master at running the option route. The option route allows Kittle to either break in or out depending on how the defender is playing him. This takes understanding the defense. If the defense is running cover two, Kittle understands that. He will break in because he knows the corner is sitting in the flat. So I wouldn't say Kittle is very far behind on understanding the holes of a defense. We saw him use that option route against the Saints and won the game because of it. In the receiving game I'd say Kittle and Kelce each have top tier hands. Kittle is more physical and he's faster. Kittle is also better after the catch. He has the beast mode mentality of "I'll run through a motherf****r's face". Kittle's not going out of bounds and he's also not letting one defender tackle him. You need to two or three defenders to tackle Kittle. In the blocking game, it's not even close. George Kittle is by far the best blocking tight end in the NFL and he's also the biggest leader on the 49ers. I'm not saying that Travis Kelce is bad, he's actually a really good blocker and after the catch... but it just doesn't compare to Kittle. George Kittle has that offensive linemen mentality of inviting the run. He loves when Kyle Shanahan calls a run play, Kittle has just the right amount of crazy in him. Kittle gets that mentality from his dad Bruce, but he's sort of like the Joker on the field. Just when you think you can contain him, he breaks loose. His defenders have night mares about him, but he's also respected around the league. I'm so happy for George Kittle and he got the contract that he deserves!
