Golden Nuggets: Kelce’s extension is a little bit less than Kittle’s

Thursday was finally the day San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle got his contract extension. He wasn’t the only star tight end to get paid, however.

Reports: Chiefs agree to four-year contract extension for Travis Kelce

We first learned in early February that the Chiefs could extend Kelce after George Kittle agreed to a new contract. Kelce had been scheduled to earn $11.2 million this year and $9 million next, with base salaries of 8 million and 7.8 million, respectively. The expectation is that his new deal will bring him closer to Kittle...

San Francisco 49ers: Predicting 16-man practice squad in 2020

QB C.J. Beathard

The 49ers added only one quarterback to their ranks during the offseason in the form of former North Central College signal-caller Broc Rutter.

But after giving Rutter a whopping $279 signing bonus after the 2020 draft, the 49ers released him when the rosters were cut from 90 to 80 right before training camp. This leaves the quarterback number at the same three it has been for the last two years, with it feeling unlikely head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch will bring in any more.

With that in mind, and given the circumstances surrounding the global pandemic still swirling around the entire country, the most likely outcome is that former third-round draft pick and Shanahan favorite, C.J. Beathard, could be moved from the active roster to the practice squad.

This would allow Shanahan to keep Beathard around, something he’s been working hard to do since the former Iowa Hawkeye arrived in Santa Clara, and open up a valuable roster spot for another position.

Keeping Beathard on the practice squad also separates him a bit from the rest of the quarterback room, hopefully keeping him safer from the virus and injury on the off-chance that starter Jimmy Garoppolo and backup Nick Mullens are unable to play.

49ers facing tough economic reality even after George Kittle signing - San Francisco 49ers Blog- ESPN

This comes at a particularly difficult time for the San Francisco 49ers, who will have 22 unrestricted free agents after the 2020 season and have more than $170 million in salary cap money tied up for next year. A cap that was expected to surge into the $215 million range from its current number of $198.2 million could now be as low as $175 million, though there is potential for it to be higher based on additional revenue.

And even though they have now signed their most important would-be free agent in tight end George Kittle to a massive deal there are still several other big names left on the table. Cornerback Richard Sherman, offensive tackle Trent Williams, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, nickel corner K’Waun Williams, strong safety Jaquiski Tartt and defensive tackle D.J. Jones are a handful of the big names who are scheduled for unrestricted free agency. Linebacker Fred Warner will also be eligible for an extension for the first time after the 2020 season.

So how do the 49ers keep their Super Bowl window open with so many free agents on the horizon?

“Is it going to be a challenge? Absolutely,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said. “For us, I think the biggest challenges, we were set up with a really good roster, but we had set it up such that we really felt it was sustainable. I think it’s still sustainable. We’re going to have to get creative, though, and we’ve got to figure some things out. You weigh that, along with everything else that this offseason brought in terms of these new protocols and everything, but it has left for a lot more uncertainty than you’re used to in this league. That’s been difficult.”

Source: Seahawks waive rookie Kemah Siverand for trying to sneak female visitor into team hotel

The Seattle Seahawks waived rookie cornerback Kemah Siverand earlier this week after he was caught on video trying to sneak a woman into the team’s hotel, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The NFL Network first reported the circumstances of Siverand’s release, noting that the woman was wearing Seahawks gear in an attempt to disguise herself as a player.

Coach Pete Carroll’s No. 1 rule is to “always protect the team.” On Wednesday, he praised the Seahawks’ veteran leaders for sending the right message to the locker room about the need to be disciplined while preparing for a season amid the coronavirus pandemic.