Thanks to Over the Cap, we have details about 49ers TE George Kittle’s contract extension
The San Francisco 49ers signed tight end Luke Farrell during free agency and brought back Ross Dwelley after the 2025 NFL Draft concluded. But their biggest investment came when they extended one of the best players on the roster.
As tempting as a second-round pick would have been had Kittle been traded, we’ve seen the offense attempt to function without Kittle on the field. It does not work. Instead, Kittle’s extension made him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL.
Those contract details have been revealed, courtesy of Over the Cap. There was $35 million fully guaranteed included in Kittle’s extension, including an $18.1 million signing bonus. There are $20 million in new money guarantees for Kittle in this deal.
Ahead of extensions, like Kittle and likely Brock Purdy, you’ll hear about how the team can’t afford to pay him. Kittle’s 2025 cap number dropped by $7.81 million after his extension.
Based on the new extension, Kittle’s deal will be void in 2029, when he turns 36. Realistically, the 49ers can’t get out of this contract until 2028. His prorated signing and option bonuses are spread out through 2030, which helps lower Kittle’s base salary — a figure that is never higher than $1.75 million during the duration of his contract.
Kittle will receive a per-game roster bonus of $500,000 in each of the next two years. From 2027 to 2029, that number will jump to $750,000. Kittle’s guaranteed salary of $16.665 million is spread out over three years. He’ll get $1.755 million in 2025, $12.9 million in 2026, and the final $2 million in 2027.
Kittle’s cap number will take up 4.2 ($14.21m) percent of the Niners’ cap this season, 5.5 ($16.24m) percent in 2026, and 5.7 ($17.7) percent in 2027.
If you’re wondering more about when or whether the 49ers can get out of Kittle’s deal, it’s not an option — at least with a pre-June 1 release. The dead money numbers are $55.7 in 2025, $31.43 in 2026, and $16.47 in 2027. The first year the 49ers could move on from Kittle without a hefty dead money charge is 2028 when that number is $4.4 million. That’s also the first season the team could save against the cap — $14.3 million.
A post-June-1 release doesn’t save the team until 2028, which is around $3.1 million. The following year, the team would save around $9.5 million.
Needless to say, Kittle, who could go down as one of the better players in franchise history, isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.