SF 49ers: Ranking top 5 re-sign priorities in 2021 NFL free agency
By Peter Panacy
SF 49ers Re-Sign Priority No. 2: Fullback Kyle Juszczyk
Like Jason Verrett, fullback Kyle Juszczyk also reiterated a desire to return to San Francisco in 2021.
But like Verrett, too, the No. 1-paid fullback in the NFL will also test his options on the open market.
Juszczyk’s four-year, $21 million contract signed back in 2017 was quite the outlier for a player at his position, and some have justifiable arguments suggesting the SF 49ers weren’t exactly wise to offer him that much money.
Considering what Juszczyk means for Kyle Shanahan’s offense, though, it makes sense why the Niners valued him so much.
San Francisco has a much more difficult time with both pass protection and lead blocking in the run game when Juszczyk has been out of the lineup during his tenure with the team. And there aren’t exactly a lot of other equal options out there on the open market, meaning Juszczyk’s specific value to the SF 49ers is arguably higher than anywhere else.
Juszczyk probably understands that, too, and so do the Niners, which makes this NFL free agency “tug of war” one of the more interesting elements of their offseason.