Why the 49ers were wise to extend Colton McKivitz

Some of the 49ers’ supporters were taken aback when right tackle Colton McKivitz was signed by the team to a one-year, $5.85 million contract that could be worth up to $7 million, keeping him under contract until the 2025 campaign.

After an inconsistent 2023 season, many believed that McKivitz would be locked in as the starting right tackle for the next campaign.

But thanks to McKivitz’s deal and the 49ers’ free agency maneuvers, they are now in a position to select the best player available in the first few rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft—who may or may not be a tackle prospect—in order to challenge the incumbent option, either this summer or in the future.

Although McKivitz’s $7 million contract extension may seem expensive, the 49ers’ organizational structure actually made it a wise deal for both parties, giving the player stability in his finances and the team flexibility in the knowledge that the right tackle might start in the event that a replacement isn’t selected in the draft.

The agreement

McKivitz signed a two-year, $4.6 million contract last offseason, and he now has a one-year extension added to it.

The 49ers added three vacant years to the contract to absorb McKivitz’s signing bonus for the extension, thus with the arrangement in place, his budget burden actually fell this season.

His signing bonus of $3.41 million is now prorated through the 2028 season, but his 2024 salary dropped from $2.5 million to $1.125 million.

His cap hits for the upcoming seasons are as follows:

2024: $2,913,000,000

The date is January 14, 2012. We are in San Francisco at Candlestick Park. The 49ers need a touchdown with 14 seconds remaining, down three, and facing a third down to maintain their hopes of making the playoffs without having to go to OT. In the meantime, the Saints can draw a conclusion from this and move on to the NFC Championship Game. We need to look back in time to comprehend how we got here and to fully appreciate what this moment signifies.

2025: $4,678,000,000

$2.338 million (void) in 2026

By doing this, the 49ers will have alternatives after the 2024 campaign. They can choose to keep McKivitz under contract through the end of his current agreement. They may choose to move off his deal and absorb a $3.16 million dead cap charge, saving $1.5 million in salary space, or they could extend him once more.

McKivitz’s contract would be at a swing tackle’s typical pay and a starter’s cheap contract even if he plays out the remaining years, and the $2.3 million dead cap hit in 2026 would be negligible.

The effect

If the cards stay the same, McKivitz would start for the 49ers as a right tackle in the upcoming season, but the squad would have continuity as the 27-year-old would gain another season of experience and San Francisco would retain its starting lineup from the previous campaign.

But flexibility was essential to both the team’s free agency decisions and McKivitz’s deal. In this year’s loaded top-heavy class, the 49ers are well-positioned to choose an offensive tackle and set themselves up for success in the future.

However, with McKivitz having a season of starting experience under his belt, the 49ers would have a fallback option in case the man they choose isn’t ready for the NFL by Week 1.

More significantly, they’re finding affordable ways to cover the gap rather than throwing a lot of money at the position, whether it’s with McKivitz’s contract or one of the players on a rookie contract.

Now, McKivitz is by no means a top choice at right tackle. Given his performance in 2023, it’s reasonable to conclude that he’s probably mediocre to below average.

However, he’s an inexpensive option that frees the 49ers, who have historically failed to address needs in the early stages of the NFL Draft, to actually enter the 2024 Draft.

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