The 49ers face a dilemma.

The core of their roster is too old and too expensive. They need to remove some of these overpaid veterans and recharge their batteries for the future.

Which brings us to George Kittle. Next year, he’ll be 32, in the final year of his contract, and his salary cap hit will hit a grotesque $22.1 million. That’s too much money for a tight end. The 49ers either need to restructure his contract by extending him or trade him.

Kittle is old for an NFL player, missing a few games each season and always seems to be playing through injury even though he always says he’s healthy. He’s a tough guy who doesn’t use injuries as an excuse. But he’s a physical player, and physical players tend to get injured.

Despite all that, he’s having arguably the best season of his career and has been the 49ers’ best player in 2024. While the rest of the team licks their wounds from February’s Super Bowl loss, Kittle put this defeat behind him. him and played inspired football every week for a team going nowhere. He became the heart and soul of a team losing confidence. Without Kittle, the 49ers would collapse even more than they already have.

He got another multi-year extension with the 49ers. They can count on him to maintain his level of performance no matter what. He should retire with the 49ers if he wants.

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