The San Francisco 49ers reported for the first day of their offseason program on Tuesday, and it looks like most of the team showed up for the voluntary workouts, including key figures like left tackle Trent Williams, running back Christian McCaffrey, and quarterback Brock Purdy.
One of the squad's core members who opted not to report with the rest of his teammates was tight end George Kittle, who is supposedly working on a contract extension with the organization as he enters the last year of the five-year, $75 million deal that he signed back in 2020.
Several of the national NFL reporters are saying that Kittle's absence is related to the contract dispute, including Dianna Russini of The Athletic, who stated that the All-Pro's absence was "contract related":
Brock Purdy's appearance at 49ers OTAs is a positive sign as extension talks continue between San Francisco and its QB.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) April 23, 2025
George Kittle's absence is also contract related, sources say.
And the two sides remain far apart.https://t.co/EdbvDfHkRx pic.twitter.com/Husmc2h9yD
The key phrase at the end of that statement is that she heard this from "sources," which she of course does not name.
But it didn't take long before a even more reputable source joined the chat.
Less than two hours after Russini posted her reporting, the 49ers' tight end chimed in with a bit of breaking news of his own:
Your source is incorrect
— George Kittle (@gkittle46) April 23, 2025
Whether that actually puts all of the conversation about Kittle being unhappy about his extension talks remains to be seen, but it is always a pleasure when a professional athlete jumps in to squash rumors that are flying around, especially at a time like this where the Niners are engaged in not one, not two, but possibly three contract extensions with their stars.
And, of course, kudos to the People's Tight End for always bringing the comedy, even if it is involved in a serious manner.