San Francisco 49ers: Daniel Kilgore Signs Three-Year Extension

The San Francisco 49ers announced yesterday that they had signed veteran center Daniel Kilgore to a three-year extension. Is this a good or a bad move?

The San Francisco 49ers have re-signed a familiar face, keeping him in the red and gold for another three years.

That familiar face is veteran center Daniel Kilgore, who was selected by the 49ers as the 163rd overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft. He was a fifth-round draft pick.

Here is the official announcement courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers Twitter account:

For those of you wondering how much Kilgore got paid, Ian Rapoport reported that it is a $12 million deal, with $7 million in guaranteed money.

"The #49ers’ contract extension for standout C Daniel Kilgore is a three-year deal worth nearly $12M with some upside potential, source said. QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s center gets $7M in guarantees.— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 15, 2018 The #49ers’ contract extension for standout C Daniel Kilgore is a three-year deal worth nearly $12M with some upside potential, source said. QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s center gets $7M in guarantees.— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 15, 2018"

Kilgore has been a member of the San Francisco 49ers for all seven years of his career and is now heading for his eighth straight season on this team.

Fun fact: Kilgore is the only remaining 49er from their 2011 NFL Draft class. That class consisted of Aldon Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Chris Culliver, Kendall Hunter, Ronald Johnson, Colin Jones, Mike Person, Bruce Miller and Curtis Holcomb. They also signed Demarcus Dobbs and Ian Williams as undrafted free agents. Oh, how time has changed.

Good move or Bad move?

It’s understandable why many people have been upset with Kilgore staying for three more years. A common argument has been how he has performed this year. This season has actually been Kilgore’s first season in which he has played all 16 games and has started for every single one. He’s previously dealt with injuries, preventing him from playing all of those 16 games.

Kilgore was definitely not a productive center at the beginning of the season. He was actually ranked as the 23rd overall center by Pro Football Focus. His overall grade was 51.0 which places him in their “poor” category. To get your own look at Kilgore from Pro Football Focus, click here.

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With these stats, I wouldn’t agree to giving Kilgore a three-year deal. The 2018 free agent class at the center position isn’t very juicy, either. But you have to take into account of what quarterbacks he was snapping the ball too. Those quarterbacks were Brian Hoyer and C.J. Beathard. Both quarterbacks definitely struggled to produce on offense as they had a combined starting record of 1-10. The whole offense was a miserable unit and they were so hard and frustrating to watch.

Until that man Jimmy Garoppolo came. The whole team’s play was elevated thanks to Garoppolo, including the offensive line who benefited from Garoppolo’s quick release and decision making.

When Garoppolo arrived to the scene, Kilgore became a top-10 center on that five-game winning streak when Garoppolo was the full-time starter. Kilgore also didn’t allow a sack or a quarterback hit, according to Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus.

So when taking Kilgore’s extension into account, it’s imperative to only care about his numbers when Garoppolo took over, because he will be the quarterback next year. A good relationship between a center and quarterback is very crucial and if these stats continue next year, don’t be surprised if Kilgore becomes a top-five center.

Next: 49ers Should Sign Jimmy Graham

Do you guys think this extension is a good one?