Kyle Juszczyk is headed into his 14th NFL season. Throughout his entire career, “Juice” has either played for John Harbaugh or Kyle Shanahan, two of the NFL’s most respected and experienced head coaches today.
Yet now, as Juszczyk heads into his 10th season with the San Francisco 49ers, he has a bit of a bone to pick with the front office, led by former NFL player and Hall of Fame safety John Lynch, who serves as general manager.
Kyle Juszczyk Not Happy with 49ers Contract
While Juszczyk has proven himself to be among the best in the NFL, earning two First-Team All-Pro selections and a whopping 10 trips to the Pro Bowl, he feels he’s underpaid.
The 35-year-old is generally regarded as a fullback. But in coach Shanahan’s offense? Juszczyk does a bit of everything, lining up in the backfield, on the line of scrimmage as what some might say is a tight end, and even sometimes split out wide as a receiver.
For the most part, he’s a fullback, and one of the very best in the NFL. Perhaps that’s why some eyebrows were raised when he received an invite to George Kittle’s annual Tight End University gathering of the best players at his position. While the invite could be brushed off as a friendly move from a fellow 49ers teammate, Juszczyk suggests the position tag is fitting for him.
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Recently, at the American Century Championship, Juszczyk made a statement that caught the attention of 49ers fans all across the globe.
“Am I a tight end?” Juszczyk asked. “Am I not a tight end? I don’t know. That’s a great question. Unfortunately, I think I’m a tight end and not a tight end at all the wrong times. I’m a fullback when it comes to contract negotiations, which hurts, but then I’m a tight end on game day.”
One would think a player’s position is defined by where he lines up the most on game day, which, if we go by Pro Football Focus’ snap chart showing where a player lines up on each play, suggests Juszczyk lined up as a tight end more than anywhere else.
- Juszczyk Snaps in Backfield – 167
- Snaps Inline – 188
- Snaps in Slot – 158
Why does any of this even matter? It really only matters when at the contract negotiation table. If he were to be given the franchise tag, his salary would be determined based on which position he plays. For example, a quarterback getting tagged would earn much more than a punter would. And the same is true if a player were getting tagged as a tight end, compared to a fullback.
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Yet, he’s not getting tagged. Juszczyk is entering the second season of a two-year, $7.5 million contract in 2026. Headed into a contract year, chances are he and his agent have already sat down at the negotiation table with the 49ers’ front office, which may be why his salary is at the top of his mind.
Though if the 49ers view him as a fullback, chances are he won’t be getting the payday he’s looking for. The NFL’s highest-paid tight end, George Kittle, makes an average of $19.1 million per season.
Meanwhile, the NFL’s highest-paid fullback makes an average of $3.8 million per season. In other words, there’s a gigantic gap between the two positions, so it’s not hard to see where the beef lies.
From the sound of it, the 49ers don’t see eye to eye with Juszczyk, which could mean this is actually his final season in San Francisco, after nearly departing the team in free agency just two offseasons earlier.
