The San Francisco 49ers lost several starters this offseason, on both sides of the ball. Deebo Samuel got traded, players like Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw signed elsewhere. Meanwhile, George Kittle, after some trade chatter, is set to return thanks to signing a four-year, $76 million contract that makes him the NFL’s highest-paid tight end.
However, for a brief point leading up to the NFL Draft, it looked like there was a real possibility that Kittle could get traded. In fact, according to The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini, the 49ers even received an offer to ship Kittle out in exchange for a second-round pick. Of course, the 49ers said no, and signed Kittle to his lavish contract extension just days later, yet for other teams, it never hurts to present a respectable offer, even if the 49ers didn’t bite this time.
“I know there was a team that had a conversation with the 49ers the night before the draft about a possible trade for Kittle, a second-rounder, the (49ers) were going to get in return. They turned it down. The 49ers decided to keep him and really move the situation forward by getting a deal done. But there was a little interest there, some poking around. I don’t think the 49ers ever wanted to walk away either. I don’t think George Kittle ever wanted to walk away. I think they always wanted to be together.”
Dianna Russini on George Kittle trade talks
Still, a second-round pick is actually a respectable offer, even for one of the greatest tight ends of his era, considering Kittle is set to turn 32 this season. However, as we’ve seen from other excellent tight ends, some can play into their late 30s, so if Kittle has five or six seasons left, it’s not hard to see why a team would have been willing to part with an early Day 2 selection for a player coming off a season where he recorded 1,102 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
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