Should the 49ers extend tight end George Kittle?

The 49ers could be looking to re-up one of their top weapons in the near future.

Much talk has surfaced about the San Francisco 49ers and their public contract negotiations with star receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is looking for a hefty raise with one-year remaining on his current contract.

Aiyuk remains a top priority for the 49ers, who have seemed committed to working out an extension since the offseason began, but there are also other potential extension candidates that San Francisco could look to work out deals with.

Other popular names include cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir, who both are on the last years of their respective deals. But, how about tight end George Kittle?

Kittle, 31, reworked his contract once again this offseason, helping the team clear up cap space, while converting a significant portion of his base salary into a signing bonus.

Let’s evaluate Kittle’s current contract and why an extension could be in the books, despite the rising age of the star tight end.

Kittle’s contract

As I shared, the 49ers reworked Kittle’s contract this offseason, lowering his cap hit to $12.2 million.

It was the third consecutive offseason that Kittle’s contract has been reworked, which is why the cap hits for the latter years have been trumped up.

As of now, here’s the structure for Kittle’s remaining years.

2024: $12.204 million cap hit

2025: $22.085 million cap hit

2026: $13.625 million cap hit (void charge)

Kittle has two more years remaining on his deal with a massive void charge in 2026 that will be dead money, given the prorated signing bonuses and added void years that the 49ers have tacked on.

He’ll be entering his age-33 season by the time that 2026 arrives, and the 49ers likely can’t get out of the deal cleanly prior to that.

The 49ers would incur a $20.7 million dead cap charge if they move off Kittle next offseason, saving just $1.375 million.

Now, if San Francisco was in the cost-cutting business, a post-June 1 designation could be in the works, but they’d still have to carry Kittle’s $22.085 million charge into the new year, hindering their offseason spending.

Could there be another option on the table?

Kittle extension

Following this five-year, $75 million contract that expires after the 2025 season, Kittle will likely be in line for one more payday, and that could come from the 49ers.

Entering his age-33 season in 2026, Kittle’s market demands could lower to the $10 million per year range, and the 49ers could look to extend their star tight end with hopes of extending their championship window before the brunt of a potential Brock Purdy extension kicks in.

Now, we’ve seen the 49ers shop or move off key players (re: Deebo Samuel and Arik Armstead this offseason), and that could be the case with Kittle, but they’ve also dug themselves in a hole with three separate restructures that an extension may make the most sense from a monetary standpoint.

With an extension, San Francisco could keep Kittle a 49er for the rest of his career, getting good production from the tight end position, while finding an avenue to lower his cap hits in the near future to best support the rest of the roster.

Perhaps, the 49ers could strike an agreement similar to the one that Christian McCaffrey got with a two-year extension that provides the team with more flexibility, while getting the player some much-desired guaranteed money.

We’ll see how Kittle’s situation ultimately plays out, but I wouldn’t rule out an extension for the tight end next offseason as the 49ers evaluate their options.