Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Dude’s about to get one heck of a payday.

Since the end of the last Super Bowl, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has been in ongoing contract talks with the team. Kittle is ranked as the seventh-best player in the entire NFL, so when a guy like that says he wants a contract negotiation, you oblige him. Unfortunately, the whole pandemic thing has complicated matters a bit with delays and profit uncertainties, but in spite of that, it seems Kittle and the team have managed to come to terms.

Kittle officially re-signed his contract with the 49ers earlier today for five more years with a whopping $75 million paycheck. $30 million of that is guaranteed upon signing, and another $40 million is guaranteed in the event Kittle sustains a career-pausing injury. The $40 million guarantee is more than double what any other NFL tight end is entitled to, and that $30 million, which also includes an $18 million signing bonus, is nothing to sneeze at either. With this contract, Kittle is now the most highly-paid tight end in the entire league, rather decisively beating out the previous record holder, Austin Hooper of the Cleveland Browns, and his new contract of $42 million back in March.

Credit: Matt York/Associated Press

“I think we don’t have to say how important George is to us, and not only as being the best tight end to me in the league, but also the type of person he is,” 49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan said during the negotiation process. “So we’re doing everything we can to get that done. … I feel really good about this going forward, and I feel very optimistic about it. Hopefully, something will happen sooner than later. I’m not too concerned about it.”

Kittle still showed up for training and camps during the negotiation process without any holdout threats, which helped keep negotiations amicable. That’s what happens when you’re a good player and a good sport: you make the big bucks.