The San Francisco 49ers went through plenty of changes this offseason. It started when the 49ers fired defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen and replaced him with Robert Saleh. It continued with the trade that sent Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders and several departures in free agency.
It wasn’t all about who left for the 49ers, however, as they kept several pieces that have made an impact over the years. While Brock Purdy, George Kittle and Fred Warner celebrated contract extensions, it was another stalwart that almost left San Francisco and came back, who explained his decision to stay in the Bay Area.
Kyle Juszczyk Explains Why He ‘Couldn’t Pull the Plug’ on Leaving 49ers
Kyle Juszczyk reached a crossroads in his career when he was released by the 49ers in March. The move was made after Juszczyk refused to take a pay cut to stay in San Francisco, and the nine-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection had the opportunity to leave for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
While Juszczyk was impressed with the Steelers pitch, he told The Athletic’s Vic Tafur that the door was always open for his return to the 49ers, and he couldn’t “pull the plug” on their eight-year relationship.
“It was a different experience,” Juszczyk said. “It was a chance to go look at a different team and I felt a lot of love from them. I got excited for a second about what possibly could be, about new beginnings and fitting into a new offense, all that type of stuff. And I genuinely enjoyed my time with [Steelers offensive coordinator] Arthur Smith and [Steelers head coach] Mike Tomlin so much. I have so much respect for those guys. But at the end of the day, it just wasn’t enough to trump what I had in San Francisco."
“I just couldn’t pull the plug. Even the day I was released, the door wasn’t shut. There was always an opportunity for me to come back. [49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan] was very open about that. We didn’t know how it was going to work out…though I told myself after a day or two that wasn’t going to happen. I think deep, deep down, that’s what I was hoping for, is that there would be an opportunity to come back.”
The Steelers had good reason to go after Juszczyk. While most of the headlines centered around their pursuit of Aaron Rodgers, the Steelers made plenty of other splashes, including trades for Jalen Ramsey and D.K. Metcalf, the addition of Juan Thornhill and Darius Slay in free agency and adding first-round pick Derric Harmon and running back third-round pick Kaleb Johnson in the draft.
But while Juszczyk would have been another piece to an “all-in” offseason, he made a valid choice to stay in San Francisco. Shanahan stuck his neck out by giving Jusczcyk a five-year, $21 million contract in 2017 and rewarded him again with a five-year, $27 million contract in 2021. While the contract has been reworked multiple times, Jusczcyk has remained an integral part of the 49ers' offense as they made Super Bowl runs in 2019 and 2023.
Perhaps a feeling of unfinished business was what brought Jusczcyk back to the 49ers. Or it could just be remaining where he’s been comfortable. Either way, the 49ers are glad to have their captain back and will look toward his leadership to rebound from last year’s disappointing campaign.