The San Francisco 49ers were able to come to an agreement on a four-year extension with George Kittle this past month and now the veteran tight end is looking to help the franchise do the same with another key member of the offense.
It is no secret that the 49ers are working to secure a long-term contract with starting quarterback Brock Purdy. Considering that Purdy has ascended from being Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 NFL Draft to being the man under center in San Francisco, the former Iowa State University standout is in line for a massive payday.
Using his first experience going through extension negotiations with the Niners, Kittle shared some advice that veteran defensive back Richard Sherman provided him with during his tenure in San Francisco.
“The first time I was going through contract negotiations in 2020, it was just a long process,” Kittle said, via Jennifer Lee Chan of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “And he 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.'
“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. It was much quicker. We got it done in a month-ish, so I was very excited about that. It was a lot different than last time, when it was like seven months.”
Now that the shoe is on the other foot for Kittle, he is hopeful that he can serve the same type of role that Sherman did for him when facing his own decision on an extension in San Francisco. Given the type of vocal leader he has been on and off of the field throughout his professional career, the fact he wants to go out of his way to help the next generation of 49ers is a testament to the man he is.
“I was like, ‘That was awesome.’ And that is exactly how you feel about it," Kittle said, per Chan. "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.”
It remains to be seen just how long it will take for Purdy and San Francisco's front office to come to terms on a deal but, at the very least, Niners fans can take solace in knowing that Kittle is doing his best to keep Purdy in the Bay Area for years to come.