One of the primary storylines from the offseason was just how badly the San Francisco 49ers wanted to cut costs.
This is why they ultimately opted to let two of their better-known offensive linemen, left guard Aaron Banks and swing tackle Jaylon Moore, hit the open free-agent market last spring, and both signed lucrative deals with the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively.
Moore's deal, specifically, had to be of interest to starting right tackle Colton McKivitz. After all, the former had been almost exclusively a backup his entire career with the Niners, while McKivitz had been cemented as a full-time starter since 2023. Once Moore inked his two-year deal with K.C. for up to $30 million, McKivitz figured he would cash in when his own contract expired in 2026.
Well, not exactly.
Colton McKivitz signs surprisingly cheap extension with 49ers
The Monday after San Francisco's Week 1 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported how McKivitz had reached an agreement on a new three-year extension worth up to $45 million, including $27 million guaranteed:
49ers and starting right tackle Colton McKivitz have reached agreement on a three-year, $45 million extension including $27 million guaranteed, per Doug Hendrickson and CJ LaBoy of @wass_football. McKivitz was in the last year of his deal, and he now is contractually tied to San… pic.twitter.com/e9xbFMC2QT
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 8, 2025
If you're doing the math, you'll notice that's the same annual average as Moore's contract with Kansas City, and Moore didn't even start for the Chiefs in Week 1.
Better yet, the 49ers managed to extend that annual average for an additional year in comparison, too, keeping McKivitz under roster control through 2028.
Now, to address a couple of points on the new extension...
Some may feel as if McKivitz is the weakest (at least weaker) link on the Niners offensive line, and that argument certainly would have held merit back in 2023 when the former West Virginia standout became a full-time starter. Pro Football Focus credited him with nine sacks allowed that year, but a season later, he was slapped with just two. And most film-review pundits would likely agree he showed tremendous improvement over the two years.
Additionally, McKivitz is a starting-caliber tackle. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be starting. And the market for starting tackles is substantially higher than the $15 million annual average both he and Moore signed entering 2025.
Colton McKivitz and Jaylon Moore are both making $15m APY and Moore didn't even start Week 1 for the Chiefs.
Luke Goedeke signed for $22.5m APY just last week.
The tackle market is the tackle market. The 49ers got a big bargain here that locks in team control through 2028
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 8, 2025
Rest assured, the cost for even an average right tackle in a year or two's time will be substantially higher than what San Francisco dished out to McKivitz.
If anything, it's fair to wonder why he opted to sign the extension rather than see what his value would be worth on the open market this upcoming offseason. From a financial perspective, that might have been the smarter play, although you'd have to ask the right tackle to answer that question himself.
Oh, and there's a final bonus. The 49ers can cross off a new right tackle from their list of needs for 2026, too.
And for a few years beyond that.