George Kittle is officially AWOL from 49ers' offseason activities

The San Francisco 49ers' opening phase of offseason activities started on Tuesday, April 22, just two days before the 2025 NFL Draft kicks off.

All-Pro tight end George Kittle is not in attendance.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the news about how Kittle wasn't attending the voluntary workouts in the Bay Area amid his own contract-extension discussions with the Niners:

The day before, The Athletic's Mike Silver shared how it seemed unlikely Kittle would report as he awaits an extension that'd likely propel him back into being the NFL's top-paid tight end, a title now held by the Niners' NFC West rivals, the Arizona Cardinals, tight end Trey McBride.

McBride is at $19 million per year, on average, whereas Kittle's current deal pays him an annual average of $15 million.

Entering the final year of his contract, it's understandable why the 31-year-old veteran would want to cash in.

Granted, San Francisco has openly declared how it wants Kittle to spend the rest of his NFL career in a 49ers uniform. But, the complexity of negotiations with quarterback Brock Purdy and his own extension talks likely has a ripple-down effect that'll delay the convo with Kittle.

Interestingly enough, Schefter shared how Purdy was in attendance despite his own ongoing negotiations.

It's also important to point out these workouts are fully voluntary, and attendance isn't required. Kittle won't be subject to fines or anything of that nature, although his status as a team captain might sour the mood with other veterans who opted to attend and set a good example by doing so. That said, Kittle has skipped the opening phase of offseason workouts before, so this isn't necessarily a "doom and gloom" situation.

It's a business decision, however, and Kittle certainly deserves to get as much as he can entering what'll hopefully be yet another All-Pro-caliber season.