Is it time for the 49ers to give Colton McKivitz a new contract?
The San Francisco 49ers extending core players like George Kittle, Fred Warner, and, of course, Brock Purdy this offseason didn’t come as a shock to anybody. That was the team rewarding their best players for their past production and locking them into deals to help move the team forward to future success.
Then, on the other end of the spectrum, some players have contributed to the Niners’ success — and failures — on short-term contracts that are year-to-year type of deals. One of the most polarizing players on this side of the spectrum is right tackle Colton McKivitz.
If you asked the average 49ers’ fan, you’d think McKivitz has never made a block in his life and has zero value to the team. However, this is where the disconnect lies between how fans view a player and how the team performs.
It’s easy to forget that McKivitz was selected in the fifth round. He was never supposed to play starter-level snaps. But after investing in more premium positions, San Francisco entered the 2023 season with McKivitz slated to start at right tackle with no competition heading into training camp.
In two seasons, McKivitz hasn’t missed a game. He’s improved ever so slightly as a run and pass blocker last year, but he did commit more penalties in 2024. McKivitz enters the final year of his contract in 2025, where his cap number is a modest $5.32 million.
Looking at the depth chart, there isn’t a successor at right tackle. Spencer Burford backed up Trent Williams in the spring. Technically, Austen Pleasants is McKivitz’s backup, but he’s also on a one-year contract that’s up after this season.
ESPN believes the 49ers should extend McKivitz before the season begins:
Extend offensive tackle Colton McKivitz
The problem here is less right tackle McKivitz and more the fact that left tackle Trent Williams turns 37 in July. He could decide to retire at any time.
McKivitz’s contract ends after the 2025 season, and the 49ers don’t want to be stuck having to replace both tackles at the same time. So the wise thing to do is to give McKivitz a small extension, maybe a couple of more seasons. He’s not a great tackle — he ranked 52nd out of 66 qualifying tackles with an 85.9% pass block win rate in 2024 — but he has improved in recent seasons. An extension would also give the 49ers some offensive line stability.
From Kyle Shanahan to Chris Foerster, the 49ers’ coaching staff has never said a bad word about McKivitz. Trent Williams has stuck up for the Niners’ right tackle as well.
However, these short-term deals speak louder than any words that come from a press conference. If the 49ers truly felt like McKivitz gave them stability, he would sign a longer, more lucrative extension.
In his defense, it could still happen. Another 17-game season where the offense stays healthy and puts up top 5-ish numbers would reflect well on McKivitz. Still, stability feels misplaced.
Mock drafts for the past two years have pegged right tackle as the Niners’ top priority. Only two players had more blown blocks against the pass last season than McKivitz, justifying why fans feel the way they do about him.
This year is a make-or-break year for McKivitz. The 49ers don’t seem confident enough, or at least haven’t found the value, to start a rookie at right tackle. Andre Dillard was signed this offseason, but he totaled 11 snaps in 2024. So, it’s not like the team is in a hurry to replace McKivitz.
It’s difficult to imagine the 49ers not getting the same type of production from a third-round (hello, Dominick Puni) or better draft pick on a rookie deal, if not better, than McKivitz. Time will tell, but it’s the one part of the depth chart where the 49ers will be OK moving forward if the current starter’s contract is up after this season.