The Brandon Aiyuk saga with the San Francisco 49ers continues to dominate NFL headlines. After the wide receiver suffered a serious right knee injury in 2024 and later missed the team’s mandatory rehab program, San Francisco responded by voiding the guaranteed money in his contract.
As a result, the standoff has only grown more complicated with each passing week. That situation has sparked plenty of discussion around the league. Among those weighing in is George Kittle, who used the moment to share valuable advice Richard Sherman once shared with him early in his NFL career.
George Kittle Shared Richard Sherman’s Advice on Contract Negotiations
Speaking on the “Chris Simms Unbuttoned” podcast, Kittle looked back at his 2020 extension talks with the 49ers. The negotiations stretched across seven difficult months before both sides reached an agreement.
During that process, Sherman helped him keep the bigger picture in mind.
“Richard Sherman gave me advice back in the day when I was going through my first contract negotiation,” Kittle said. “It was contracts are like braces. They hurt, and they suck the entire time. And then once you get your braces off and you get paid, you don’t even remember having them, and it’s a great time.”
“That’s kind of the mindset you have to have. And if you get offended by something and you hold on to it, that’s kind of on you because everybody goes through contract negotiations, and they’re all difficult.”
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During those negotiations, Kittle’s camp pushed hard because they believed he deserved to be compensated like a top receiving weapon because of everything he brought to the offense as both a blocker and playmaker. In the end, Kittle signed a five-year, $75 million extension.
Since then, he has become one of the cornerstones of the franchise. And because of that, Kittle’s next contract negotiation looked completely different.
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In 2025, both sides reached common ground far quicker than they had five years earlier. The talks wrapped up in about a month, and the deal became official in April. Kittle signed a four-year, $76.4 million extension (that keeps him with the 49ers through the 2029 season) and became the NFL’s highest-paid tight end at that time.
And of course, Kittle’s numbers show why the 49ers didn’t doubt him this time. Across nine seasons with the Faithful, he has totaled 595 receptions for 8,008 yards and 52 touchdowns while earning seven Pro Bowl selections.
According to PFN’s TE Impact Metric, Kittle has finished four seasons in his career rated as the best tight end in the league. Last season, he posted an impact score of 82.4 and ranked second.
Now, Kittle appears to be passing along the same lesson Sherman once shared with him. Rather than fueling emotions, he has encouraged Aiyuk to view contract negotiations as part of the business side of football. Whether that advice changes anything remains to be seen.
