
No. 1: 49ers Tight End George Kittle
Average Per Year: $674,574
As far as bargains go, there are none other eclipsing the kind of return the 49ers have received from their contract with All-Pro tight end George Kittle.
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Want to know how crazy this gets? Here’s the ranking of Niners tight end contracts entering 2020 in terms of annual average value:
- Charlie Woerner — $869,008
- Chase Harrell — $764,333
- Ross Dwelley — $750,000
- George Kittle — $674,574
- Daniel Helm — $540,000
As far as league-wide comparisons, let’s just say Kittle is way down towards the bottom.
Granted, the guarantees and bonuses are different here. But based off this stat alone, it’s pretty safe to say San Francisco has received the steal of steals from its 2017 fifth-round NFL Draft pick.
Under that rookie contract, Kittle has set numerous NFL records, including the single-season receiving-yards mark by a tight end as well as most receiving yards by a tight end his first three seasons in the league.
So it’s no surprise Kittle is going to be massively expensive when the 49ers ink him to a well-deserved extension.
For now, the Niners have received about as great a value as possible for a player who is on a Hall of Fame trajectory right out of the gate.