49ers salary cap: 5 biggest contracts entering 2022
By Peter Panacy
49ers salary cap player No. 3: TE George Kittle
2022 scheduled salary: $16.012 million
San Francisco made All-Pro tight end George Kittle the highest-paid player at his position when he was due for an extension entering the 2020 season, equating to a five-year deal worth up to $75 million and $15 million, annually.
With $30 million of that guaranteed, the only time one might think of Kittle being a potential cap casualty would be in 2024 when cutting him would generate $13.55 million in 49ers cap space against $4.5 million in dead money.
Not likely that happens, but it’s something to point out nonetheless.
Kittle’s earnings spike considerably from the $5.45 million earned in 2021 to a scheduled $16-plus million in 2022, though, meaning he’s currently projected to take up 7.7 percent of the Niners’ total cap space this upcoming year.
Unlike Arik Armstead, a restructure probably isn’t in play, as it might offset San Francisco’s ability to cash in on a compensatory draft pick if he indeed walks when his current deal ends in 2026.