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Fullbacks are not often recognizable members of any team, but Kyle Juszczyk is a rare exception. However, after eight years with the San Francisco 49ers, Juszczyk is aware that their iconic pairing may come to an end.
The 49ers' four-game losing streak to end the 2024 season caused them to miss the playoffs, putting an end to a disappointing campaign. Juszczyk commented on his uncertain future after the team's Week 18 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, admitting that he wants to stay in San Francisco but is aware of the situation.
“[Leaving the 49ers] crossed my mind,” Juszczyk said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “I hope that’s not the case. Because at the end of the day, I will play somewhere else if that’s what I have to do. I just hope I don’t have to.”
Juszczyk is under contract with the 49ers through 2025 but will likely have to restructure his deal in the offseason. San Francisco will focus on extending Brock Purdy over the summer, a deal that is expected the team to dig deep in its pockets just one year after giving Brandon Aiyuk a lucrative extension of his own. That makes Juszczyk's $6 million cap hit in 2025, the most of any fullback in the league, a potential liability.
Juszczyk added that he knows the 49ers, who have been to four of the past five NFC Championship Games, are “not done,” via ESPN. The 33-year-old also noted that he still has quality years left in his career, claiming that he has seen “zero regression” in his production.
49ers' Kyle Juszczyk makes fullback history in 2024
The 49ers fullback's claim was backed up by a Pro Bowl nomination in 2024, the ninth of his career. The recognition gives him the most Pro Bowl appearances of any fullback in NFL history and the most by an Ivy League alum. Juszczyk has made the Pro Bowl every year since the 2016 season.
After spending the first four years of his career with the Baltimore Ravens, Juszczyk signed with the 49ers as a free agent in 2017. Four productive years later, he inked a five-year, $27 million extension with the team, making him the highest-paid fullback in the NFL.
But while Juszczyk remains the highest-paid player of the position, he is also still the most versatile. Juszczyk's diverse skill set practically makes him a hybrid tight end, often running routes out of the slot and occasionally out wide. With the oft-injured nature of San Francisco's running back room, Juszczyk also fields significantly more carries than the traditional fullback.
In his age-33 season, Juszczuk tallied 226 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns in 2024. He remained the only constant of the 49ers' ever-changing backfield due to injuries to Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason, Elijah Mitchell and Isaac Guerendo.
