SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ With the NFL draft over, Joe Staley's retirement official and the Trent Williams trade complete, there appears to be one important domino left when it comes to big roster decisions for the 49ers this offseason: the looming contract extension for tight end George Kittle.
"We're very interested. George isn't going anywhere," general manager John Lynch said on 957 The Game last week. "We're going to work hard to try to get it done."
San Francisco this offseason has come to grips with the financial realities of having a Super Bowl roster. Which is why Lynch deemed it necessary to trade defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts for the No. 13 pick that resulted in his replacement, Javon Kinlaw. There were other players who needed raises and giving Buckner the $84 million extension (averaging a $21 million per season) would have impacted the rest of the roster.
By deciding not to pay Buckner, the 49ers had the room this spring to bring back defensive lineman Arik Armstead, safety Jimmie Ward and maintain flexibility in future years when stars like Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa would inevitably need new contracts to keep the championship window open.
