Noted Chicago Bears fan, George Kittle, made news this week, signing a four-year contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers worth $76.4MM.
In the days before the draft, Kittle was absent from the 49ers' mini-camp, suggesting that he could be a holdout during training camp if the two sides couldn't come to terms on a new deal. However, a potential holdout from Kittle wasn't the only thing the 49ers were dealing with during the week of the draft.
The Athletic's Dianna Russini reports that teams approach the 49ers, ahead of the draft, about Kittle's availability. According to Russini, there was one team believed to have been willing to give the 49ers a second-round pick for the Pro Bowl tight end.
While Russini does not mention the team specifically that offered a second-round pick for Kittle, let's workshop.
We know that the Bears had two second-round selections in the draft. We know that Kittle would be an ideal tight end fit for Ben Johnson's offense. We know that the Bears selected a tight end, Colston Loveland, in the first round after they were unable to move up in the draft and select Ashton Jeanty.
We don't know directly if the Bears were the team to make an offer but given Poles' tendency to offer his additional draft picks for a veteran player to fill a need, it would be a safe assumption to say that the Bears, at least, checked in on what the cost would be for Kittle.
Of course, there would be the question of why the Bears would be in the market for a 32-year-old tight end. The simple answer is that Kittle is still performing at a Pro Bowl caliber level. Beyond that, Caleb Williams being in the second year of his rookie contract and Joe Thuney's arrival define that the Bears' window to win is open now. Kittle would help with that cause.
For Kittle, a lifelong Bears fan, there likely would have been some joy in finishing his career out in Chicago. Having said that, as Russini noted, there never was a real possibility of the 49ers and Kittle not finding common ground on a contract extension.
