SAN FRANCISCO — As Brock Purdy navigates his first career contract extension, George Kittle is being as supportive as possible.
The All-Pro tight end spoke exclusively to NBC Sports Bay Area as he kicked off the weekend at the de Young Museum. In conjunction with Zenni, nearly 250 children received free vision screening at the museum. Several of the participants were invited to attend a “chalk talk” with Kittle, where they learned how to draw up a few of the 49ers' plays.
The children received a complimentary pair of EyeQLenz glasses that help protect against blue light, UV light, and infrared light, and were able to meet Kittle and take pictures after the event was over.
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SIGN UP HERE “The only difference is, a quarterback’s contract is significantly and astronomically different than a tight end’s contract,” Kittle said with a smile. “Just trying to be realistic with him and trying to connect it as best I can.
“Me and Brock have a lot of things in common. Two kids that came out of — no one really had high expectations for either of us, and we both exceeded those expectations. I think he kind of took a rocket ship a little bit faster than I did, mine was over the course of several years. His was over the course of like six games.”
Kittle’s second extension was finalized exponentially quicker than his first, in 2020, which wasn’t completed until training camp. Through the ups and downs of that first extension, 49ers alum Richard Sherman offered support through the analogy that 'negotiations are like braces,' which the tight end has shared with his quarterback.
“Just trying to help him out as best I can without ever trying to overstep,” Kittle said. “Because he’s an adult and he knows what he wants to do with his life, but if I can help with a little guidance here and there, I try my best.”
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Maybe the most important aspect of Purdy reporting to Santa Clara for Phase 1 of the offseason program is the energy and mood throughout the locker room, which has been palpable to Kittle.
“I’m happy that we don’t have a bunch of guys holding out for contracts,” Kittle said. “I’m glad that we are not having a super drama-filled offseason. I think every year of my career we’ve had a quarterback controversy at some point. And to not have that, it’s going great.
“And just when you have everybody in the building or the majority of the guys in the building, just the energy in the locker room is fantastic, the weight room is awesome, guys are working really hard. We have a lot of new free agents this year, so you want to meet everybody. You want everybody to get to know you before you get into the grind of training camp.”
Purdy, who emphasized that he wanted to have his extension done before OTAs might not have gotten his wish, but still has demonstrated why he was voted team captain in just his second year with the 49ers.
“Brock being here reinforces that because everybody knows who Brock is and he is a very social person in the locker room,” Kittle said. “His being around, getting to meet everybody, is just good for our team chemistry.”
The 49ers will hold rookie mini camp May 8-10, bringing the 2025 roster together for the first time.