The San Francisco 49ers signed fullback Kyle Juszczyk last week to a four-year deal worth a reported $21 million, and naturally it gone tongues wagging. It made Juszczyk the highest paid fullback in the NFL, 2.5 times over.
However, according to Juszczyk’s agent, it was not event he highest offer. Peter King’s weekly MMQB column included some discussion of the Juszczyk deal, and in it, he spoke with the fullback’s agent, Joe Linta. According to Linta, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, and New York Jets were all interested in his client. One of them offered more money, but Linta did not reveal who that was.
Linta said that two things swayed Juszczyk in his decision to pick the 49ers:
He loved what he heard about San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense and the multiple ways he might be used, and he and his girlfriend loved the thought of living and working in California.
If another team was willing to offer Juszczyk, I would think he would be looking at an expanded role. However, given Shanahan’s use of Patrick DiMarco, and his career success as an offensive coordinator, I can see the draw.
I’m a little skeptical when an agent says someone offered more money (maybe he wants the 49ers to look better in this), but either way, the connection makes sense. The 49ers offense has added several weapons, but there is plenty more work to do. In the meantime, Juszczyk is likely going to find himself in an ideal spot. He said he will have a diverse role, and while he said pass protection will be part of it, you have to figure he’ll be an incredibly active part of more than just blocking.