SANTA CLARA, Calif. — When (or if?) the 49ers regain some equilibrium after these last few rocky weeks, George Kittle will be one of the main men guiding them there.
Of course, he is not the lone leader of this incredibly talented and experienced group. The 49ers’ core players are Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel, and Fred Warner, among others. Brock Purdy is gaining notoriety very quickly. Even though Trent Williams is arguably the most well-liked person in the locker room, he is not there right now because he is waiting for a better deal. This is among the recent upheavals that have rocked this franchise.
The biggest disturbance, no doubt, is the continuing standoff/stare down/pre-breakup situation between the 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk, who has requested a trade and been given permission to talk to other teams. Even if Aiyuk and the 49ers drag themselves back to the negotiating table, there are hurt feelings and hard questions for all sides.
In what way is the 49ers locker room handling this situation? Do the players have any doubts about owner Jed York’s intention to call it a day?The biggest interruption is definitely the 49ers’ protracted staredown, standoff, and pre-breakup issue with Brandon Aiyuk, who has requested a trade and been given permission to negotiate with other teams. Aiyuk and the 49ers will still have to deal with tough issues and hurt sentiments from one another even if they are able to return to the bargaining table.with a string of cut losses that began in March with the release of veteran Arik Armstead? Does discord exist? Is everything going as usual? Who is setting the example?
The squad is led by Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, but they do not speak for the group. One of the leaders should speak to me, please. A person who experienced a difficult contract negotiation process with the 49ers a few years prior. someone who contributes to the 49ers’ offensive line with Williams and Aiyuk.
George, are these contractual crises a sign that this era of the 49ers might be coming to an end?
“I get asked that all the time, like, ‘You guys, you can’t pay everybody; you have a superstar team,’” Kittle told me after practice on Thursday. “Talk about a window closing and all that type of stuff. And I’m just, like, all I know is that currently, right now, we have a really good roster. And I’m just gonna try to attack it every single day with the really good roster that I have.
“I remember being told in like 2021 that, ‘Hey, if we don’t win it this year, the window’s closed.’ And we’ve been to three NFC Championship Games since then. So the window hasn’t closed. John and Kyle and Jed (York) have done a great job about figuring out a way to, whatever metaphorical window, keep that open.”
Kittle mentioned that Aiyuk’s absence from the huddle early in camp, despite his attendance, seemed a touch odd. However, after a few weeks, Kittle stated that everyone is just focusing on their job and trying their best to avoid the news and commotion caused by the Aiyuk problem as the 49ers prepare for their exhibition opener in Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday.
“Honestly, to me, it’s less weird now than it was at the start,” Kittle said. “Aiyuk’s a phenomenal football player. And with all this stuff that’s happening on the outside, I mean, I have no idea. I see stuff on Instagram occasionally. I don’t really watch any type of ‘SportsCenter’ or (sports-talk) stuff. But it doesn’t really affect me at all.
“Hopefully it pans out the way that’s the best possible way for both Brandon and the 49ers. And whatever happens, happens. Because I have zero control over it and there’s nothing I can do about it. … For Brandon, it’s just, I want what’s best or him. If he requests a trade, I hope that he gets to go somewhere that’s best for him. And I have no bad blood with Brandon.”
Yes, I believe Kittle came across as a little resigned in this regard. At minimum, his statements conveyed an understanding that a resolution is unlikely to occur very soon. Kittle underlined that every negotiation is unique; in the previous one, for example, Bosa was prepared to hold out until the 49ers gave up. However, it would be naive to believe that an Aiyuk trade is not always very likely. Also, Kittle is not gullible.
In addition, there are youthful veterans like Jauan Jennings, Ronnie Bell, and Danny Gray as well as rookie receivers like Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing who may fill in.
“I would definitely say that it would be a significant loss,” Kittle said. “(Aiyuk)’s a fantastic wide receiver who does everything that you want. He runs every route tree. He makes huge plays. He gives 100-percent effort in the run game. He leads by example. He brings awesome energy every single day of work. He’s everything you want in a football player. So I love having him as a teammate.
“But the one benefit to him not practicing … is a lot of younger guys get all these reps, and they’re getting important reps with the 1s and with Brock that they wouldn’t be getting otherwise. I’m not going to take probably any rookie over Brandon, I’m not going to do that. But the fact that these young guys get these reps, it’s going to put them in a position to succeed if we can’t figure stuff out with Brandon.”
If Aiyuk leaves, the 49ers will not suddenly become a poor team. They will still have an abundance of Pro Bowl talent, including Christian McCaffrey, Charvarius Ward, Kyle Juszczyk, Purdy, Kittle, Deebo, Warner, and Williams (if he and the 49ers reach an agreement).
However, their talent level will be lower than it could have been or ought to have been if 49ers management had not mishandled the Aiyuk discussions up until this point. The 49ers need strong leadership to get through this. Some of that, I believe, is already taking place. The 49ers are all about standards and those who uphold them. And as long as there is a high degree of talent and the standards are upheld, this will continue.
Kittle stated that the majority of his generation’s captains matured in the 2021 campaign, which was two years following the team’s trip to the Super Bowl and one year following the COVID-19-ravaged 2020 season in which the 49ers also suffered numerous catastrophic injuries, notably to Jimmy Garoppolo, Kittle, and Bosa. Following that awful season, there was some roster rearranging as some of the more senior veterans left and the current group of 49ers leaders took the field.
“It was me, Fred, Trent Williams and at that point it’s Hey, Deebo, you’re in Year 3. You’ve got Arik Armstead at that point, too, who was a good leader, and Bosa,” Kittle said. “We were kind of a young group of leaders. But we just tried to practice at a very high level every single day and set a standard that was, if you’re walking into this San Francisco 49ers organization, if you get signed here, if you don’t play at this level, you’re going to stand out like a sore thumb on tape and you’re going to be embarrassed.”
If the 49ers decide to move on from Aiyuk, they will need Kittle, Warner, and company to provide all of that and more. It is also known that Purdy, who is about to embark on his second full season as the team’s quarterback, is assuming more responsibility for leadership. Purdy was the established starter two offseasons ago, but that was only after he played in a few games as a rookie before he injured his elbow in the NFC Championship Game. Following surgery, Purdy had to spend the entire 2023 offseason recovering, and it was unclear if he would be ready for the 2023 campaign. This was your typical off-season. Or as typical as a 24-year-old who is firmly established as the 49ers’ starting quarterback.
“He went and got married,” Kittle said of Purdy. “He went on a honeymoon. He was able to calm down a little bit. And when you’re able to do that, it kind of reignites a hunger … you have that itch. It’s like, football season’s coming and I need to get in the best shape of my life and to be my best self. I feel like I saw that from Brock. When he showed up to OTAs, when I saw him, he looked like he was just ready to go. And I show up at training camp, he has the same thing. He’s just hungry to get better every day.
“And when you feel that off of your starting quarterback, it makes you just want to go as well.”
However, Purdy’s rise further exacerbates the 49ers’ overall financial crunch, since everyone in the club knows he is expected to receive a $200 million or more contract extension in the upcoming offseason. York will undoubtedly need to commit more than $150 million in guaranteed money for that agreement, even though it would not really impact the salary ceiling for a few more years. Perhaps this is the reason why the 49ers and Aiyuk are not talking yet. It would not be the first time, though, that the real issue in an NFL contract was the buildup of guaranteed money rather than the more manipulable cap statistics.
The best veterans on the 49ers are looking at all of this. Longtime captain Armstead was let go shortly after turning thirty and suffering through an injury-plagued season because he refused to accept a pay cut. After this season, when he will turn 29, Shanahan and Lynch have not denied that they may move on from Samuel. Kittle, who turns 31 in October, is starting his sixth NFL season. After this season, he will only have one more year left on his deal, which the 49ers could simply terminate. Although Kittle had his greatest, healthiest, and most productive season since 2021 (65 receptions, 1,020 yards) last year, you never know when a player with Kittle’s level of physicality can start to tire.
If the 49ers do some more hardline salary slicing, is it possible they think about targeting Kittle next offseason? “For sure,” Kittle said.
Is this something on his mind?
“It’s not really an issue for me,” Kittle said. “There’s nothing I can do about that except to go out there at every single practice and every single game, show them why they need to keep me around. That’s the only thing I can control. Stay healthy, make a bunch of plays, play at a high level, be a good person and win football games. And if I can just do that, I feel like I’m going to be a Niner for a really long time.
“And if I think about hey, they’ve done this before, you’re at the end of your contract, you’re 30… I don’t really feel 30. … I think I’m having a pretty good training camp. My body feels pretty good. And I’m just gonna continue to play the way that I’ve been playing my entire career. That’s been at a pretty high level.
“I’m very aware that I’m not 23 years old anymore. But I honestly haven’t been able to tell the difference between 27 and 30. I’m just going to keep going until the wheels fall off. And I feel like the way that I take care of my body, the wheels aren’t going to fall off for a while, knock on wood.”
The 49ers are going to need Kittle — and Warner and others — for as long as they can play like this, and for as long as they can provide counsel for the rest of the roster. But it’ll get harder every time they lose a player like Armstead earlier this year, and maybe Aiyuk in a matter of hours or days. It’ll all get harder. And eventually, even Kittle and Warner will be gone, too. It’s harsh, but every player faces this. Every team faces this. Even the 49ers. Especially the 49ers these days.
(Top photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
