49ers turned down enticing trade offer for George Kittle before NFL Draft, per report

05/02/2025 12:20 PM

The 49ers had a strong trade offer for George Kittle before the draft, but turned it down.

Months of negotiation ended shortly after the draft when All-Pro tight end George Kittle signed a 5-year, $91.4M extension. However, before that deal was cemented there was a stunning deal on the table the 49ers passed on — one that perhaps they should have thought about.

Diana Russini of The Athletic is reporting that prior to the NFL Draft the 49ers were offered a second round pick for Kittle.

That is a big time offer for a player over the age of 30 — especially in a draft that was as deep as the 2025 class. Obviously the 49ers said no, deciding Kittle was too important to part ways with, but now we have to wonder who might have made the offer.

Russini doesn't note which team was talking to San Francisco, but for my money the Chicago Bears make too much sense. GM Ryan Poles loves to make trades for established talent, and Chicago had two second round picks in the draft, one coming from Carolina in the final payment for the Bryce Young trade in 2023.

If we see what this would have done to the draft it's really interesting. The Bears wouldn't take Colston Loveland at No. 10, instead opting for a pass rusher — and this could be the rub of it all. Getting an EDGE rusher was the No. 1 list of needs on the 49ers board, and Chicago was calling them about a tight end then they knew it was high on their list of needs.

We can easily imagine a scenario where it's less about just losing Kittle, and more about influencing the class. The 49ers picked at No. 11, one spot behind the Bears — and it would have been extremely damaging to give up Kittle AND lose their preferred player at EDGE if Chicago went in a different direction.

It's certainly interesting to imagine what could have been if San Francisco traded Kittle though.