49ers star George Kittle ready to embrace ‘being a captain’
Through his first couple of NFL years, George Kittle has emerged as a critical piece of the 49ers puzzle. That has put him in line to earn a lucrative extension this offseason.
The two sides have yet to make any significant progress toward working out a new deal. However, Kittle is optimistic that another contract can be worked out to keep him in San Francisco for much longer.
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“Being a captain, I want to be there for my team, and I need to show the right leadership skills,” Kittle told Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com on a conference call to bring awareness to Gatorade’s “Beat the Heat” program.
Kittle has put forth a strong start to his NFL career. As a result, he’s become one of the top talents at his position over the last two seasons. He earned back-to-back Pro Bowl selections on the back of setting the all-time single-season receiving yards mark (1,377) for a tight end. As well as that, he is the first 49ers’ tight end to record 1,000 receiving yards in a campaign.
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The 26-year-old is currently expected to make $735,000 in 2020, which will be the final year of his rookie deal. Austin Hooper signed the largest contract for a tight end this offseason on a four-year, $42 million deal with the Cleveland Browns. Meanwhile, Hunter Henry is inked to a franchise tag worth $10.6 million for the 2020 season.
It may just be a matter of time before Kittle gets a deal that could reset the market at his position.
