Every day, Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort looks a little smarter.
According to Adam Schefter, 49ers star tight end George Kittle did not report to the first round of the team's OTAs this week.
Kittle is entering the final year of a five-year contract extension he signed with San Francisco back in 2020. His absence from a regular, albeit optional, offseason program has raised eyebrows around the league. This may be the latest entry in the 49ers saga of disgruntled stars.
Arizona Cardinals look like geniuses amid George Kittle debacle
The Arizona Cardinals acted with perfect timing on Trey McBride's contract extension. Earlier this month, Arizona inked its star tight end to a four-year deal worth a total of $76 million. The contract made McBride the highest-paid tight end in NFL history, just edging out (you guessed it) George Kittle.
It's hard to believe that the exact value of the deal wasn't meant as a statement: the Cardinals believe that Trey McBride is more valuable than George Kittle.
Apparently, Kittle hasn't taken too kindly to being supplanted as the league's richest tight end. By skipping OTAs, he has sent a message to the 49ers front office. Kittle likely wants to retake his place at the top of the tight end market.
If skipping OTAs turns into a full-on holdout, the 49ers season could be in jeopardy. Kittle is integral to the success of their offense, and without him, they could flounder.
This is far from the first time that San Francisco has struggled to keep a star player happy. Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams, and Brandon Aiyuk have all previously expressed their discontent with the way the 49ers front office addresses contract extensions.
In all likelihood, Kittle and the 49ers will reach terms on a new deal before the start of the 2025 season. That deal will probably make Kittle the NFL's highest-paid tight end once again.
The Trey McBride contract was worth every penny for the Arizona Cardinals. If they had waited until after Kittle's potential extension, they likely would have had to fork over a few extra millions to close the deal. Monti Ossenfort continues to prove that he's the man for the job in Arizona.