George Kittle’s got his own contract extension with the 49ers finalized last month, and he’s had advice for Brock Purdy about talks that could take much longer.
George Kittle will likely be a member of the 49ers for the rest of his career after signing a four-year extension last month in what was a departure from tradition for the team in terms of the speed of negotiations.
The 49ers have developed a reputation for long, drawn out contact talks with star players over the years, with All-Pro tight end Kittle familiar with how frustrating that can be. His first contract extension with the 49ers in 2020 was not signed until August of that year.
This year, though, the 49ers got the matter resolved quickly, a change for which Kittle is extremely grateful.
Speaking to NBC Sports Bay Area, Kittle said: “It [the process of his contract extension] was short and sweet.
“I am very happy that it is done. My last contract extension went into training camp and that is a little bit stressful.
“I was just appreciative to get it done now. Because the weight on your shoulders and the stress, because you know something is going to happen and you just want it to get done.
“That stress is alleviated from your shoulders and you can kind of not be concerned with anything happening, and be your best self every single day and you know that you have that security a little bit so you’re not worried about it.”
For the 49ers, the focus now will be on coming to terms with quarterback Brock Purdy on a long-term deal that will likely make him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL.
Purdy is going through the experience of a contract negotiation for the first time, and Kittle revealed he has passed on some words of wisdom he received from former 49ers teammate Richard Sherman.
“The first time I was going through contract negotiations in 2020, it was just a long process,” Kittle explained. “And he [Sherman] just said ’Hey, look. Contracts are like braces, you hate them, they look terrible the entire time they are doing them but the second you get them off, you have a beautiful smile and a bag of cash and you won’t remember anything about the braces.’
“I was like, ‘That was awesome.’ And that is exactly how you feel about it. I was thankful to have a leader like that. Sherm gave me those tips and as long as I can pass those down to other guys, it’s very helpful.
“That is a great quote, I’ve already used that quote on Brock, not to bring him into this but I already used that quote for him and he likes it as well.”
There was a good sign on that the Purdy talks are going well last month when the quarterback reported for the first day of the 49ers’ offseason program. Purdy is on the record as wanting to get a deal done before OTAs start on May 27. The sooner he gets those metaphorical braces off, the better it will be for everyone inside the building.