The San Francisco 49ers ensured three of their star players would remain in the Bay Area for the long haul, extending quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle and linebacker Fred Warner to lucrative deals.
None within the fanbase would complain about those moves. But fans would certainly argue against a proposed extension made recently by ESPN's Aaron Schatz.
And that would be extending right tackle Colton McKivitz.
As Kyle Posey of Niners Nation pointed out, fans' perception of McKivitz differs from actual reality.
"It’s easy to forget that McKivitz was selected in the fifth round," Posey wrote. "He was never supposed to play starter-level snaps. But after investing in more premium positions, San Francisco entered the 2023 season with McKivitz slated to start at right tackle with no competition heading into training camp.
"In two seasons, McKivitz hasn’t missed a game. He’s improved ever so slightly as a run and pass blocker last year, but he did commit more penalties in 2024. McKivitz enters the final year of his contract in 2025, where his cap number is a modest $5.32 million."
Ever since taking over at right tackle in 2023 following the free-agent departure of now-Denver Broncos tackle Mike McGlinchey, McKivitz has never had any true competition for his job.
Combined with the expected level of play, that $5.32 million is an absolute bargain.
At the same time, though, the 49ers don't have a clear-cut replacement plan in the works, should McKivitz seek a hefty deal on the open market in 2026, which led to Schatz's conclusion about extending him:
"The problem here is less right tackle McKivitz and more the fact that left tackle Trent Williams turns 37 in July. He could decide to retire at any time.
McKivitz's contract ends after the 2025 season, and the 49ers don't want to be stuck having to replace both tackles at the same time. So the wise thing to do is to give McKivitz a small extension, maybe a couple of more seasons. He's not a great tackle -- he ranked 52nd out of 66 qualifying tackles with an 85.9% pass block win rate in 2024 -- but he has improved in recent seasons. An extension would also give the 49ers some offensive line stability."
It's not overly difficult to challenge this assessment, though, and from a couple of different angles.
For starters, Williams recently told reporters he has zero plans of retiring at any point soon, also indicating he intends to give the Niners advance notice when he does opt to call it a career.
Additionally, after watching swing tackle Jaylon Moore cash in on a two-year, $30 million free-agent deal with the Kansas City Chiefs last March, one would have to think McKivitz wouldn't settle for anything less than a $15 million per-year average.
That's probably going to be more than what the Niners would want to offer on an extension.
Instead, San Francisco is likely to table the need for a new right tackle until 2026, perhaps via the NFL Draft with one of its early picks, which some have suggested will be the case.
Fans would probably be more pleased with that approach than a would-be McKivitz extension.
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