Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Jordan Mason

Friday, February 21, 9:33 PM

San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch writes that the San Francisco 49ers and star tight end George Kittle have been in talks about a contract extension early this offseason. The 31-year-old is heading into the final year of his current deal in 2025 after a strong 2024 campaign in which he caught 78 passes on 94 targets for 1,106 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 15 starts. The production was all the more impressive after he revealed that he played through cracked ribs for much of the season, and he also missed two games with a hamstring ailment. Kittle's 1,106 receiving yards and eight touchdowns were both the second-best marks of his career. He was the TE1 overall in fantasy, with only Brock Bowers and Trey McBride besting him in total yardage. Regardless of whether he gets a contract extension from the Niners (he likely will), Kittle will be a top-five fantasy TE in drafts this fall.

Tuesday, March 11, 12:08 PM

The San Francisco 49ers placed a second-round tender on restricted free-agent running back Jordan Mason on Tuesday, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The second-round tender is worth over $5 million, so it means that Mason will most likely return to the Niners in 2025 as the backup to Christian McCaffrey (knee). However, with Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr. also in the fold, it wouldn't be surprising to see the 25-year-old traded this offseason. Mason missed the last five weeks of the 2024 season with a high-ankle sprain, but before that, he was a waiver-wire darling in fantasy football after taking over for the injured McCaffrey as San Fran's lead back. He had a career year with 153 carries, 789 rushing yards and three touchdowns while adding 11 catches for 91 yards through the air. If Mason isn't traded, he'll be a popular handcuff option for those that take the risk with CMC as an RB1.