The San Francisco 49ers have seen significant change up and down their roster this offseason as general manager John Lynch tries to retool in the wake of a very disappointing season.
One player to keep an eye on moving forward is tight end George Kittle. According to Sports Illustrated’s Grant Cohn, Kittle is seeking an extension as he enters the final year of his contract but the Niners might be hesitant to give him one considering Kittle is set to turn 32 in October.
Cohn adds that if Kittle doesn’t get the long-term deal he’s seeking, he could hold out in training camp and the preseason. As a result, the Sports Illustrated writer isn’t ruling out San Francisco getting ahead of things and trading the superstar tight end.
“If Kittle holds out, the 49ers could do what they usually do when star players want extensions, which is to let them hold out for the entire training camp and preseason and then give them everything they want right before the regular season begins,” Cohn wrote. “Or, the 49ers could be proactive and trade Kittle.
“If they know he’s not part of their long-term future, trade him now while his value as at its highest. They might be able to get a first-round pick for him,” Cohn concluded.
Based off that thought, Last Word on Sports’ Anthony Palacios has formulated a list of possible landing spots for the six-time Pro Bowler and thinks the Carolina Panthers could be one of them.
The Carolina Panthers are getting younger each season in their pass-catching department, so they should be on the hunt to sign some capable veterans. Tommy Tremble is returning on a three-year deal, but Ja’Tavion Sanders had his moments and isn’t ready for full-time duties just yet. Perhaps they could trade for Kittle to give quarterback Bryce Young a legitimate, consistent target to boost his chances to move the chains.
The Panthers have a decent duo at tight end currently in Tommy Tremble and Ja’Tavion Sanders, but the latter is unproven and the former doesn’t offer much when it comes to pass-catching.
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Overall, the Panthers need more weapons for Bryce Young, also. Adam Thielen is on the tail end of his career and, like Sanders, Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette remain unproven.
Not only would Kittle offer a massive upgrade as one of the best tight ends in the NFL, he could be Young’s No. 1 option in 2025. Not to mention, he’d be a valuable resource for the slew of young players Carolina has on its roster, Young included. And, the Panthers should have the funds to extend Kittle, as well.
All that said, if the Niners were to trade Kittle, they would likely do right by him by sending him to a team that has a chance to compete. The odds that Kittle would have any interest in going to Carolina are slim, at best.
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