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49ers re-sign Kyle Juszczyk to a 5-year deal
Anyone who was hanging around 49ers Twitter over the weekend caught a pretty provocative exchange between John Lynch, CEO Jed York and eventually Kyle Juszczyk:
I’m thirsty. Niners fans, you want some “Juice?”
— John Lynch (@JohnLynch49ers) March 14, 2021
I’m the luckiest man in the world. My wife @IamDaniellems our coach #Kyle our gm @JohnLynch49ers Love my life and those I share it with
— Jed York (@JedYork) March 14, 2021
So fired up Juice! Had to be the coherent FaceTime from us last night that sealed the deal https://t.co/fe91L22qlY
— Jed York (@JedYork) March 15, 2021
Whatever happened during that FaceTime between Niners brass and Juszczyk had to be entertaining, to say the least.
Either way, San Francisco ensured one of its most versatile weapons on the field wouldn’t be leaving in free agency this offseason, as Juszczyk subsequently received a five-year contract worth up to $27 million with $10 million guaranteed.
Juszczyk’s initial four-year contract worth $21 million, signed back when he joined the team in 2017, was already the record-setter and outlier for fullbacks. This deal is, too, with nearly an identical amount of annual average as the previous one.
For those complaining about the amount, Juszczyk’s guaranteed money is what’s important to note. The full details aren’t quite available, so it’s possible the contract has easy outs after two years. But this should help matters a lot:
Kyle Juszczyk's cap hits (based on @AaronWilson_NFL's report and my quick math):
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) March 15, 2021
2021: 1.87M
2022: 1.92M
2023: 7.80M
2024: 8.70M
2025: 8.70M
The option bonuses from 2023 to 2025 also allow them an out in the contract.
And considering there isn’t exactly anyone else out there who handles Juszczyk-like duties for head coach Kyle Shanahan, it makes sense why the 49ers were willing to prioritize their fullback despite the league trending towards doing away with the position.
It might still be an outlier. But that doesn’t change the fact the Niners offense functions so much better with Juszczyk on the field compared to when he’s been out of the lineup.