Analysis: George Kittle extension proves 49ers are still serious about winning

When it came to George Kittle the ers couldn t bring themselves to play contract hardball Kittle was justly rewarded with a contract extension that should enable him to end his career with the unit that made him a fifth-round draft pick in with a first-time head coach in Kyle Shanahan and a first-time general manager in John Lynch Society is one of the most of overused terms in sports but not where Kittle is concerned He s not only a future Hall of Famer but a tone-setter whose presence is as uplifting in the locker room as it is on the field With Kittle officially in the fold as of Tuesday morning there will be no repeat of the protracted negotiations with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams last summer that played a role in setting a negative tone to a - season Kittle should join the gang for Phase of the offseason plan and through training camp There will be draft picks and six undrafted rookies who will benefit by watching his every move Aside from quarterback Brock Purdy who was on site for Phase and has given no indication he ll withhold his services while an extension is being negotiated there is no more fundamental sportsman in the organization That s not to denigrate the skills of running back Christian McCaffrey and Williams When healthy they re also worthy of a bust in Canton But they started their career elsewhere Kittle arrived at ground zero of the current regime Being a er is all he s known since arriving in the fifth round out of Iowa with the th pick in the NFL Draft Following the season Kittle was clear in his wishes to finish his career as a er And when a analysis surfaced last week there was a wide gulf in negotiations he refuted it on social media To drag things out with the greater part respected sportsman on the roster would have sent the wrong message Instead Kittle was reportedly guaranteed million and maximum of million with an annual salary of million that makes him the NFL s highest paid tight end Kittle plays with an infectious enthusiasm Karl Mondon Bay Area News Group Bean counters can criticize the ers for waiting until the Arizona Cardinals paid tight end Trey McBride a four-year million with an average of million for driving up Kittle s price But there is no argument that can be made for driving a hard bargain for a performer whose dedication to his craft is beyond question and serves as an example to everyone else on the roster Given the ers penchant for drawing out contract drama and their offseason makeover in terms of payroll and personnel it was natural to be concerned Kittle is and there s an old Bill Walsh philosophy of getting rid of a participant a year too early rather than a year too late Yet where Kittle doesn t look anywhere close to the end The numbers receptions yards and touchdowns a first- or second-team All-Pro five times are only part of his value While the ers struggled in Kittle had one of his best years Kittle s personality is thoroughly modern but his play is decidedly old-school He pancakes would-be tacklers with regularity and relishes that part of the job as much as he does catching the ball and scoring touchdowns He s a modern-day Mike Ditka in terms of style and not by accident He s turned his Nashville home into a laboratory for pushing his body to the limit and beyond physically conceding he s spent more than a million dollars When it comes to your body that s your business Kittle declared last August You don t need to go buy three cars you don t need to get everything you want Kittle has grown into a cottage industry He advertises several products and has grown into the one of the biggest personalities in the NFL He s funny and engaging and never met a camera or a microphone he didn t like a stark contrast to the polite and respectful rookie who arrived in I would call him and check on how his ankle was doing and he d be like Yes sir It s perfect I m fine No I don t feel anything ' Shanahan announced last season Then I d watch him limp out of my office Now he s more social and outgoing Social and outgoing is putting it mildly He s full of nonsense with a passion for the professional wrestling Spider-Man and sneakers But he s ultra serious in his mental and physical preparation and has a zest for the event that rubs off on his teammates Off the field besides the good times Kittle is heavily involved in military charities and has been the entire package when it comes to being an ambassador for the organization Aside from physical skill there is no quality Shanahan and Lynch value more than someone who loves football It sounds obvious and trite except when applied to Kittle In that aspect he s the gold standard and a athlete the ers need as a center of attention for a young roster learning the ropes Related Articles ers sign George Kittle to four-year extension extending his band legacy ers depth chart New-look defense dotted with top draft picks ers depth chart Is offense too familiar around Purdy McCaffrey Former er Dre Greenlaw is hurt again although severity is in dispute ers add six undrafted free agents still no offensive tackles Lynch talks often about what it means to be er and no one on the roster embodies that more than Kittle The ers paid top dollar for Nick Bosa McCaffrey Williams and Aiyuk They ll ante up soon for Purdy who seemingly wouldn t be in the building if he thought an extension wasn t going to happen They may do the same for linebacker Fred Warner although he s on site and doesn t seem overly concerned about it Rewarding Kittle creates offseason momentum while a holdout would have stifled it It s an indication the ers are still serious about winning and that the roster purge had to do with performance related to a - record as much as it did finances