TEs Kittle, Kelce earn big paydays
The 49ers and Chiefs have the top two tight ends in the NFL, and on Thursday, the teams paid them as such.
First, George Kittle and the Niners agreed to a five-year, $75 million extension that is the richest contract ever for a tight end. Then Travis Kelce and the Chiefs agreed to a four-year, $57.25 million extension that will keep him with the Super Bowl champs through 2025. It reportedly includes an $18 million signing bonus.
Locking up Kittle, who was set to become a free agent next offseason, was a high priority for the Niners. He had been one of the NFL’s biggest bargains after being drafted in the fifth round in 2017.
The previous high for annual value on a multiyear contract for a tight end, according to overthecap.com, was the four-year, $42 million, four-year deal Austin Hooper signed with the Browns this offseason.
The Chiefs already had spent big this offseason, signing quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a 10-year extension that could be worth a half-billion dollars and defensive tackle Chris Jones to a four-year, $85 million contract. But that didn’t stop them from signing Kelce to a big deal.
Jones open to anthem talk
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sidestepped the question of whether he would change his policy requiring his players to stand during the national anthem.
Still, Jones, who has taken the hardest line among NFL owners against protesting racial injustice during “The Star-Spangled Banner,” did acknowledge a changing social tide after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Two years ago, Jones wouldn’t even support players staying in the locker room during the national anthem, declaring the club’s policy was for players to be on the sideline, “toe on the line.”
While he reiterated his belief in standing for the anthem in his annual pre-training camp meeting with reporters this week, Jones tried to say he intended to be more open to his players’ points of view.
Seahawks dump sneaky rookie
The Seahawks waived rookie cornerback Kemah Siverand this week after he was caught on video trying to sneak a woman into the team’s hotel, according to reports. NFL Network noted that the woman was wearing Seahawks gear in an attempt to disguise herself as a player.
Siverand went undrafted out of Oklahoma State and received a $2,000 signing bonus. That was tied for the third-smallest bonus among the Seahawks’ 17 undrafted free agents.
Bills give LT Dawkins $60M
The Bills signed left tackle Dion Dawkins to a four-year, $60 million contract extension. Dawkins has been a starter for the Bills since being selected in the second round of the 2017 draft out of Temple. He had one year left on his rookie contract and is now signed through the 2024 season.