The 49ers made fullback Kyle Juszczyk the NFL’s highest-paid fullback again, making his five-year, $27 million deal official Monday. His contract is sizable, but it’s not likely to cost nearly as much as the initial numbers indicate.
The Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson reported terms of the deal, which includes $9.6 million guaranteed, including $1.25 million guaranteed in the third year of the five-year pact. The final three years of the deal come with team options though and a $2.155 million non-exercise fee if they choose not to bring him back.
His cap hits the next two years according to Over the Cap are $2.275 million and $2.958 million. After that they jump to $6.588 million in 2023, and $7.588 million the final two years of the contract. By that point the cap should be re-inflated post-pandemic and what looks like a relatively sizable number now should be a little less daunting.
It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of Juszczyk’s tenure with the 49ers shakes out from a contract perspective. He’s entering his Age 30 season, which means he’ll be 32 the first time one of those options comes up. It’s hard to believe they’ll become disenchanted with him at that point, but there’s also a scenario where San Francisco falls flat the next couple years and head coach Kyle Shanahan is no longer with the club. A new head coach or offensive coordinator may not have use for a fullback with Juszczyk’s skill set.
Ultimately the fullback is a key cog in Shanahan’s offense and its worth keeping him even at a slight overpay for his position. The small cap numbers early in the contract make it especially manageable in the first couple years while the cap recovers. Overall this should be an offseason win for the 49ers.
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