SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers agreed on a five-year, $27 million contract with Kyle Juszczyk that will make him the highest paid fullback in the NFL.
A person familiar with the deal says the sides agreed on the new deal on Sunday night, one day before Juszczyk would be allowed to start talking to other teams before becoming an unrestricted free agent. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been announced by the team.
The deal was first reported by NFL Network.
Juszczyk’s new contract tops the record he set for fullbacks back in 2017 when he signed a $21 million, four-year deal as one of the first additions made by coach Kyle Shanahan.
The Niners coveted Juszczyk’s versatility as a receiver and blocker in Shanahan’s offense and made sure he would stick around for several more years.
General manager John Lynch referred to Juszczyk as an “offensive weapon” when originally signing him and the team used him more than a typical fullback.
The 29-year-old Juszczyk scored a career-high six touchdowns last season with four coming on receptions and two more on runs. He finished the season with 19 catches for 202 yards and 64 yards rushing on 17 carries.
Juszczyk’s use has dropped a bit as the Niners have added more options on offense but he has 102 catches for 1,080 yards and seven TDs to go along with 135 yards on 35 carries with two scores in four seasons in San Francisco.
But his biggest value might come as a blocker in the running game. San Francisco has 206 more runs with two backs in the game the next highest team in the past four seasons and averages an impressive 4.51 yards per carry in those two-back sets thanks in part to Juszczyk.
This agreement leaves one less issue for San Francisco to resolve when free agency begins this week. The Niners are hoping to bring back left tackle Trent Williams after a successful first season with the team and need to rebuild the secondary.
More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL