The San Francisco 49ers needed to free up some money in their salary cap, and the fullback, Kyle Juszczyk helped out by agreeing to a reduced salary.
“It’s significant,” stated 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on Tuesday at the annual NFL owners meetings in Orlando. “Kyle is a major part of this team, and has been since we arrived. We would have been upset to lose him. It was great for us and for him to stay with us. I’m really pleased he chose to do that.”
Juszczyk previously had a five-year, $27 million contract with the team that was supposed to continue until 2025. With his pay cut, Juszczyk has now signed a two-year, $9.1 million deal, saving the 49ers $4 million in 2024.
“I think those are small things that give us an advantage,” 49ers owner and CEO Jed York remarked on Tuesday regarding Juszczyk. “By staying in the mix and willing to work with us, it helps extend our window for winning a Super Bowl and gives us the flexibility to attract more players to join the team.”
Kyle Juszczyk Has Been Going Strong in NFL for a Decade
Juszczyk, a fourth-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2013, has been a consistent presence in two different NFL backfields over the past ten years. After leaving the Ravens in 2017, the former Harvard standout joined the 49ers.
Despite not putting up impressive numbers, Juszczyk's blocking has been instrumental in the 49ers' consistent success in recent years, helping the team reach two Super Bowls and four NFC Championship games.
“I feel like I’ve really been embraced,” Juszczyk said in January via The Washington Post. “Not many teams give much attention to the fullback. Many fans probably can't even name them. But it's really cool that here… all the [49ers] fans are very aware of me and my name. … It's meaningful to me.”
Juszczyk has 347 catches for 2,464 yards and 16 touchdowns in his career. He also has 211 yards rushing for five touchdowns on 62 carries.
How Kyle Juszczyk’s Wife Benefits From 49ers
At the owners’ meetings, Juszczyk’s wife, Kristin, had the opportunity to promote her clothing business, which includes NFL-licensed apparel. York mentioned that this demonstrates the mutual support between the organization and the players’ families.
“I want to make sure [players] have great careers and make a lot of money,” York said. “But I also want to ensure that individuals like Kyle, who is here with his wife this week, can expand their business. If we can help, whether it’s a player or a player’s spouse, we want to do that. We want to foster a family atmosphere.”
“And they demonstrate that it’s a family atmosphere on their side as well, where they are willing to make adjustments so we can do what we can to try and go win a Super Bowl,” York added.
