Kittle is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of 2020 season and is seeking to reset the market at the tight end position.
The 2017 fifth-round pick has done more than enough to earn a lucrative extension. A 2019 first-team All-Pro, Kittle has posted successive 1,000-yard campaigns, setting the record for receiving yards in a single season by a tight end in 2018 with 1,377.
An agreement between the NFL and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) set the salary cap floor for 2021 at $175 million — around $40 million lower than what had been expected prior to the pandemic — as the league prepares for the financial hit it will likely take as a result of teams having to play games without fans.
Lynch acknowledged that change had made Kittle’s extension more difficult, telling KNBR: “That’s a big adjustment. But we were waiting for some of that [information] to guide us in how we structure a deal.”
Lynch added: “I think people should be encouraged. We have had tremendous talks — I don’t want to say progress — but talks with (Kittle’s agent, Jack Bechta). And we work real well together. … We’ve traded ideas and things and we’re really hopeful. We’re going to work extremely hard. George is such a great fit for what we do. He’s a tremendous player.
“He’s what we want him to be. I think it would be silly not to figure that out. And we’re going to do just that.”
