What's Taking the 49ers So Long to Sign George Kittle to a Contract Extension?

The San Francisco 49ers have quickly developed tight end George Kittle into the heart and soul of their offense, but the perennial Pro Bowler is still without a multi-year extension to show for that production. The 26-year old is entering the final season of his four-year rookie contract, and San Francisco hasn't stepped in yet to offer him a long-term deal.

In 2019, Kittle put up five touchdowns and over 1,000 receiving yards for the second consecutive season. You'd think the 49ers would be ready to give the ex-Iowa Hawkeye his well-deserved pay day, but it seems San Francisco and Kittle's representation are taking all the time they need on this one. How come?

Aside from trading away DeForest Buckner to the Colts and missing out on Emmanuel Sanders to the Saints, the 49ers haven't lost too much this offseason but also weren't that active in free agency. San Francisco has a good amount of cap space after re-signing Arik Armstead, Jimmie Ward and Ben Garland, but has stayed relatively quiet to start the offseason.

The 49ers have the money to pull off an extension of Kittle this offseason, and now would be the perfect time to do it. Yet, it's entirely possible Kittle's agent is waiting for the salary cap to increase ahead of free agency in 2021, as it could net him more money in the long-term.

It's expected that, eventually, San Francisco caves in and extends Kittle with a mammoth contract, but the fact that it's not happening now just means that the ball is in the player's court, rather than team ownership's.