Tag: Kyle Juszczyk

49ers aiming for FB Kyle Juszczyk to take pay cut

Could Kyle Juszczyk be the next 49ers player to leave instead of taking a pay cut?

The 49ers’ attempts to generate salary cap space by way of pay cuts for some of their more expensive players will already cost them defensive lineman Arik Armstead. They’re hoping the same won’t be the case for fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who has also been approached about a pay cut per NFL insider Adam Caplan.

Juszczyk, 32, has two years left on the five-year deal he signed ahead of the 2021 season. He’s due to make $5.75 million in each of the next two seasons with salary cap hits of $7,588,750 in both of those years. He’s by far the highest-paid fullback in the league thanks in part to his importance to San Francisco’s offense.

It’s unclear whether the team plans to release him without a pay cut like they did with Armstead. It’s also unclear how amenable Juszczyk is to a pay cut at this point.

With enough teams running a version of the Kyle Shanahan offense it would make sense if there was a market for him in free agency, but given that no team has come close to giving a fullback the contracts Juszczyk has gotten from the 49ers it stands to reason that there wouldn’t be a sizable free agent deal for the soon-to-be 33-year-old.

Replacing Juszczyk wouldn’t be easy for San Francisco. He’s been a vital cog in their offense since arriving as a free agent in 2017. Juszczyk has been a Pro Bowler in each of his seven seasons with the 49ers and earned an All-Pro nod this year when his position was put back into the All-Pro balloting.

In seven years Juszczyk has missed only seven games for the 49ers. He’s accounted for 1,881 yards and 15 touchdowns in that stretch.

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Kyle Juszczyk strongly defended Kyle Shanahan by walking back his comments about the Super Bowl OT rules

Kyle Juszczyk’s defense of Kyle Shanahan is so silly.

The San Francisco 49ers are quickly learning one thing after their devastating loss in Super Bowl 58 — they should’ve just lied (as my pal Mike Sykes says).

On Tuesday, Kyle Shanahan clarified his foolish overtime strategy by maintaining that he wanted the ball third in the extra period. The head coach was rightfully blasted by the NFL world for such a silly thought process because … what? But it’s worth noting that this probably never becomes a controversy without fullback Kyle Juszczyk’s comments about how he didn’t know the Super Bowl overtime rules.

In defense of his coach, Juszczyk tried distancing himself from the idea that his not knowing the Super Bowl overtime rules meant anything. Eh, I’m not sure I agree:

OK. Huh. Let’s unpack this.

Juszczyk’s defense of Shanahan not properly teaching his players the overtime rules is tantamount to complaining that a restaurant guest didn’t appreciate eating a burnt dinner. It’s reacting to the deserved backlash as if it shouldn’t happen in the first place. It’s realizing he should probably just fall on the sword for his coach after opening Pandora’s Box following another crushing Super Bowl loss.

No one’s looking for reasons to [expletive] on Shanahan. He did that to himself.

What on earth does Kyle Shanahan do now?

Kyle Shanahan is the greatest offensive mind of his generation, but that won’t matter anymore until and unless he can finally win a Super Bowl.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is unquestionably the best offensive coach in the NFL. He’s got a list of acolytes that are also head coaches and other kinds of offensive play-callers that seems to paper half the league.

But right now, none of that matters. Because for the third time in a Super Bowl, Shanahan as either the offensive coordinator or head coach has blown a lead of at least 10 points.

That’s the toughest thing about getting to that many high-profile games — if you keep losing them, that’s the only way people will define you. And for Shanahan, it’s now losing Super Bowl LI as the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator, infamously blowing that 28-3 lead, and two Super Bowls (LVI and LVIII) in which he had 10 points on the Chiefs and couldn’t come through. Shanahan is also on the losing side of the only two overtime Super Bowls — LI and this one.

Sometimes, history really sucks.

“There’s nothing different to say,” Shanahan said after this particular srushing loss. “I mean I don’t care how you lose when you lose Super Bowls, especially ones you think you can pull off, it hurts. When you’re in the NFL, I think every team should hurt, except for one at the end. We’ve gotten pretty damn close, but we haven’t pulled it off. We’re hurting right now, but it doesn’t take away from how proud of our guys I am. I’m really proud of them today, too. As part of sports, as part of football, as part of life, as part of life. I’m glad we put ourselves out there. I love our team. We’ll recover, and we’ll be back next year strong.”

He’s not wrong about any of that but the cast this puts over one’s legacy is also undeniable.

Shanahan is hardly the only coach to face this crucible. Tom Landry couldn’t get past the Vince Lombardi Packers or Blanton Collier’s Cleveland Browns in the back half of the 1960s. John Madden’s Oakland Raiders went to three straight conference championships and lost them all to the eventual Super Bowl winner from 1973 to 1975. And the list of teams that had to take a back seat to Bill Belichick when Belichick was winning six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots was … well, rather long.

If you get over the hump eventually, the narrative goes away. It did for Landry and for Madden when they won their own Super Bowls. But in Shanahan’s case, we’re still left wanting when it comes to the biggest game, and that will invariably — and not unfairly — complicate his legacy over time as it does now.

Until he is able to change it.

This time around, it seemed like Shanahan had the guys to get it done. Brock Purdy had been the near-perfect distiller of his offense in ways that no other quarterback had been. Purdy’s targets are as talented as any in the league, and Steve Wilks’ defense completely dominated the Chiefs in this game … until they didn’t on the last drive. Patrick Mahomes threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman with three seconds left in the first overtime period, and the Chiefs won 25-22.

Belichick’s Patriots and now the Chiefs are the only teams in the new millennium to repeat as Super Bowl champions. With three championships in five years, they’re the new dynasty, and Mahomes is the unkillable force.

So, it’s Shanahan who’s on the wrong side of history and dynasty.

Shanahan’s bona fides are undeniable. No offensive play caller and play designer is better at displacing defenses, but all that statement will get now is, “Well, if he’s so great, why can’t he maintain it when it matters?”

And that’s a fair, if cruel, question.

As far as what Shanahan can do to erase that narrative? It might be up to making the Super Bowl in a year when the Chiefs somehow miss it. Or, to hope (quite possibly in vain) that things will turn his way if he has to face this juggernaut once again.

Right now, there’s only the pain of not only falling short, but falling short in the same way, over and over, in a Sisyphean struggle to roll that impossibly heavy boulder up the hill, feeling like you might be on the wrong end of the wrath of the gods.

Kyle Juszczyk showed off a signed 49ers jersey jacket designed by his wife, Kristin, at the Super Bowl

Oooo. This is cool.

When you roll up to the Super Bowl, you have to dress for the occasion. So, it’s not surprising that Super Bowl photographers caught San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk sporting a custom jacket made by his wife, Kristin, that included pieces of signed jerseys.

Earlier this week, Kyle Juszczyk was pretty clear when he said that he and his wife Kristin love Taylor Swift, but they would not be supporting her in the Super Bowl with a custom creation. But he didn’t say anything about what he would be wearing from his wife’s collection.

Kristin Juszczyk has a licensing deal with the NFL that allows her to dress fans and players in NFL gear. So, when Kyle showed up to Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, he was rocking a new jacket full of jerseys signed by his San Francisco 49ers teammates.

Update: Kristin is wearing a customer jacket to support Kyle that chronicles his career.

Kristin Juszczyk got an NFL licensing deal after her incredible designs for Taylor Swift and Simone Biles

Her custom puffer jackets are absolutely amazing!

Kristin Juszczyk has reportedly secured a licensing deal with the NFL and that is fantastic for everyone involved.

Kristin, who is married to San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, has made waves for her viral clothing designs during the NFL’s postseason. She first made headlines when Taylor Swift wore a custom puffer jacket featuring the name and number of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

But as noted by our own Meghan L. Hall, Swift’s custom jacket was not the only impressive design work from Juszczyk. She has also made incredible jackets for four-time Olympics gold medalist Simone Biles, 2012 Miss Universe Olivia Culpo, and four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson.

Fortunately, her licensing deal will allow her to continue to make more unique items that could potentially appeal to a wider audience if she chooses to go down that route.

Asli Pelit, a sports deals sporter, has more information (via Sportico):

“Juszczyk has been granted a license to use NFL marks in men’s and women’s apparel designs, the league said, declining to disclose financial terms. She previously made a jacket for the wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, as well as Swift, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

The 49ers face the Chiefs in Super Bowl 58 on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.

The combination of Swift, who has 279 million Instagram followers, and the Super Bowl, historically the most-watched TV show of the year, gives Juszczyk a unprecedented sports marketing opportunity.

Juszczyk’s one-of-a-kind puffer jackets have made a big splash on social media after Swift wore it to the Chief’s playoff game against the Miami Dolphins earlier this month.”

This is great news not only for Juszczyk and her family but potentially for NFL fans everywhere who can potentially support her work.

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How the Ravens, Chiefs, Lions, and 49ers get big plays out of heavy personnel

The Ravens, Chiefs, Lions, and 49ers all get more explosive plays out of heavy personnel than you might think, and here’s how they do it.

We tend to think of the modern NFL passing game as heavily dependent on multi-receiver sets, spread out to foil opposing defenses. But more and more, modern offensive coordinators are finding ways to use heavier personnel and some old-school ideas to score points.

All four of the remaining teams in the playoff picture — the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, and San Francisco 49ers — have patented ways to break defenses in half with more tight ends, fullbacks, and extra offensive linemen than you might imagine.

You’ll see a lot of these concepts in Sunday’s conference championship games, and here they are. In case you’re not familiar with how numbers and personnel packages, here’s how that works.

  • 10 Personnel = 1 RB, 0 TE, 4 WRs
  • 11 Personnel = 1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WRs
  • 12 Personnel = 1 RB, 2 TEs, 2 WRs
  • 13 Personnel = 1 RB, 3 TEs, 1 WR
  • 21 Personnel = 2 RBs, 1 TE, 2 WRs
  • 22 Personnel = 2 RBs, 2 TEs, 1 WR

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys talked a lot about how all four teams will use their own ideas to set themselves up for possible Super Bowl berths.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os,” previewing both conference championship games in detail, right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Fans loved 49ers FB Kyle Juszczyk’s supportive response to his wife Kristin’s coat design for Taylor Swift

He’s SO proud of her.

When Taylor Swift showed up to Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce take on the Miami Dolphins in the Chiefs’ playoff opener, Swift’s custom Kelce jacket deservedly garnered plenty of attention.

It was an incredible look, and Patrick Mahomes’ wife, Brittany, rocked a similar jacket for the frigid game in Kansas City.

Those first images had everyone wondering where Swift and Mahomes got the jackets. And it turned out that it came from within the NFL community: a custom job done by Kristin Juszczyk (the wife of 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk).

As those videos hit social media, Kyle was in the comments making sure his wife got the credit she deserved for the design. And during the Niners’ media availability on Tuesday, Kyle described how thrilled he’s been for Kristin.

Kyle said:

“Oh my God. Just pure joy. Just to see her get that recognition. She’s been grinding for years now, working so hard. So, I’m so happy to see her get her stuff out there and everybody see it. And people recognize it was hers.”

Here’s another look at the jackets:

He also added that both Vogue and Adam Schefter reached out about Kristin’s designs as Schefter wanted to make sure he credited her.

Fans especially enjoyed seeing how proud Kyle was of Kristin’s work. That’s what a supportive partner sounds like.

49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk supported wife Kristin’s custom work for Taylor Swift in the sweetest way

Both Kristin’s custom work and Kyle’s pride were on display Saturday night for Dolphins-Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs made a big statement Saturday night, taking down the Miami Dolphins in sub-zero temps in the first round of the NFL playoffs. Taylor Swift was in attendance to support Travis Kelce, and the pop star donned a new, custom coat emblazoned with the tight end’s name and number.

MORE: Where Taylor Swift got her incredible custom Travis Kelce coat for Chiefs-Dolphins game

There was a delightful NFL connection with the jacket being created by Kristin Juszczyk, the talented wife of 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk. The proud husband made sure his spouse got her flowers, taking to social media to sing her praises.

Juszczyk replied to several accounts that shared the 12-time Grammy winner’s entrance to Arrowhead Stadium in the jacket and retweeted several more that complimented Kristin’s work.

We absolutely love to see the support.

One voter’s 2023 AP First-Team All-Pro ballot

If you’ve ever wanted to see an official First-Team All-Pro ballot, we have you covered.

There are moments in your career where you think to yourself… “Yeah, this is a moment to remember.” Two years ago, when the Associated Press asked me to be one of the analysts responsible for voting for the First- and Second-Team All-Pro teams, as well as NFL Most Valuable Player and all other individual awards, that was certainly such a moment for me.

So, this is my second year of voting, and I wanted to share my first-team ballot with our readers. It’s an honor I take incredibly seriously, and this process involves a ton of advanced metrics, tape study, and reflections from a season of diving into both.

Some of these votes were easy; some were incredibly difficult. But it will give you a bit of insight into what happens with an All-Pro vote.

4 49ers voted by players to NFLPA All-Pro team

The NFLPA announced the 2nd All-Pro team voted on by players. The #49ers are well-represented:

The NFL Players’ Association last year began announcing an All-Pro team that’s voted on by players. This offers a different perspective on the league’s best players than the one presented by the All-Pro teams voted on by media.

San Francisco is well-represented on the second-annual NFLPA All-Pro team with four players landing on the list. Dallas has the most representatives with five.

Here are the 49ers voted to the NFLPA’s All-Pro team: