On Saturday, the San Francisco 49ers quietly added depth at tight end. Khalil Dinkins finalized his reunion with the squad, signing a three-year deal worth roughly $3.1 million.
While the name may not pop off the page, the lengthy contract speaks volumes about how the front office views their current tight end situation. Given the collection of multi-year contracts at the position, the 49ers may be coming to terms with a grim realization about beloved George Kittle.
Dinkins joins Kittle and Jake Tonges as tight ends whose contracts extend beyond the 2026 season. Kittle's deal, however long, doesn't cover for the fact that he is turning 34 in less than two months and is coming off a serious injury. The 49ers clearly aren't overlooking that, as they lay the groundwork for his inevitable decline.
George Kittle may have already shown 49ers signs of decline
To date, Kittle has enjoyed an illustrious career and is considered one of the league's premier tight ends. Through nine years, the Iowa product has averaged 13.5 yards per catch, including two peak years (over 14.1 YPC) in 2023 and 2024. His 2025 campaign, however, was a harsh reality check.
His yards per reception plummeted to 11.0. The veteran missed most of the early season due to a hamstring injury, but he still managed to appear in 11 games, thus logging a decent sample size. His 57.1 yards per game was also his lowest since 2022, and his overall yardage total was his worst since his rookie year.
At this point in his career, Kittle's age is impossible to overlook. A comeback season at this stage is far from a guarantee, especially when taking some of the other great tight ends into account. Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten, and Greg Olsen all recorded less than 700 yards in their age-34 season. Even Antonio Gates, who enjoyed an unusually elongated reign with the Chargers, only caught 69 passes for 821 yards. Gates also had the highest yards per catch of the four at 11.9.
49ers are still dependent on George Kittle, at least for one more season
Father time is no longer George Kittle's friend. As much as the 49ers would love to keep their star tight end around for his entire four-year contract, it appears they are already preparing for the inevitable, whenever that may come. Backup Jake Tonges has already proven he can start in a pinch, and newly signed Khalil Dinkins represents another long-term depth piece.
Whether San Francisco will wait until the future Hall of Famer's production bottoms out remains to be seen. GM John Lynch wouldn't surprise anyone if he drafted another tight end in 2027, as it's well known that Kittle's best years are behind him.
For now, the 49ers enter 2026 banking on at least one more prime season from George Kittle, though it may be fueled by optimism rather than realism. Time will tell if the blocking extraordinaire has one more elite season left in him. With many receiving options already banged up, the red and gold will surely be counting on him.
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