The San Francisco 49ers have started their voluntary offseason workouts, and George Kittle is not present. It was reported that he is skipping as a result of his contract situation.
The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported that a source told her that Kittle's absence from the offseason program is contract-related and that the two sides are not close. Kittle responded to the report on X.
"Your source is incorrect," Kittle simply replied to Russini's post on X.
Kittle is going into the final year of his five-year, $75 million deal. He is a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. It is understandable that he wants an extension before he steps onto the field. However, this is still just the voluntary portion of the offseason, and perhaps Brock Purdy's showing up has put more scrutiny on Kittle's decision to skip. General manager John Lynch was asked whether or not he thinks Kittle will skip OTAs.
"We’ll see on that," Lynch told reporters. "You know, these things are voluntary right now, but again, with that we’ve had good communication, good talks, and we’ll see where that goes."
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Kittle has made it very clear that he is not engaged in some sort of heated contract dispute with the team, and Lynch's comments suggest that a deal should get done. However, it will likely have to come after the 49ers ink Purdy to an extension.
As far as skipping at this point in the year, Kittle is a veteran player, and it is not uncommon for veterans to skip the voluntary portion of the offseason. However, that does not mean that he will take the field during OTAs if he is still waiting for an extension. As of right now, there should not be too much weight put on Kittle's decision to skip.
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