George Kittle and Brock Purdy are witnessing firsthand how roster moves within the San Francisco 49ers are forcing some of their teammates to leave the franchise, including a veteran who joined the team in 2017 and will no longer continue with the organization.
According to information from Adam Schefter, the 49ers have informed Kyle Juszczyk that he will be released, ending his time with the team. Last season, he helped Brock Purdy in several games as a fullback, a position he has held for the past eight seasons with the club.
Last season was a disaster for the team, but Juszczyk was there alongside George Kittle and his other teammates, playing in 17 games where he recorded 200 receiving yards, averaging 10.5 yards per game. Additionally, it was another Pro Bowl season for him, and he was voted onto the All-Pro list.
Juszczyk’s last salary with the 49ers was $3,606,750, and it was expected that by 2025, under a renegotiation, he could earn double that amount. However, the 49ers’ goal is to free up as much cap space as possible to improve the contracts of other players like Purdy.
George Kittle’s “painful” reaction after the Juszczyk’s news
On his personal X account, Kittle simply posted a broken heart and a small juice container emoji. He quickly received all sorts of responses from 49ers fans; one of them told him, “Why do you want to stay and be a part of this disaster? You are too great of a player to play on teams like this (@jkingy21).”
It can’t be forgotten that Kittle is also a NFL veteran who joined the franchise at the same time as Juszczyk in 2017. He currently still has one year left on his contract with the team, which includes a “last paycheck” for the 2025 season valued at $22 million.