How 49ers’ Brock Purdy’s contract extension is impacted by George Kittle deal

Billy Heyen

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How 49ers’ Brock Purdy’s contract extension is impacted by George Kittle deal image

Brock Purdy had to like seeing his tight end, George Kittle, get paid.

Kittle received the biggest-money extension for a tight end in NFL history on Tuesday from the San Francisco 49ers.

And frankly, that's exactly what 49ers fans needed to see to know that Purdy will be sticking around.

There would've been very little incentive for the 49ers to extend the aging Kittle if they felt Purdy wasn't going to be in San Francisco long.

Purdy's contract is up at the end of the 2025 season. Technically, the 49ers could play the franchise tag game.

They'd be better off extending Purdy, though, even if it means for $50 million a year.

Kittle's contract was entering its final season, too, but now he's locked up long term.

The 49ers officially know what their 2026 cap space looks like, and further out, as well. Fred Warner's pending extension will impact that, too, but things are getting clearer.

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San Francisco may have been waiting to see exactly how to structure Purdy's extension as far as where to put the money and void years in to maximize contending years.

Now that Kittle's four-year, $76.4 million extension is in place, Purdy is coming to bat in negotiations. He'll probably even be in a good mood knowing that one of his favorite targets will be on board for the long run.

The 49ers would be wise to get this deal done soon and head toward the new season with a near-term and long-term structure in place.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle