In the wake of a shaky display from the 49ers’ offensive line in their Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco has signed its starting right tackle to a long-term deal.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday that the 49ers have come to terms with Colton McKivitz on a three-year, $45 million extension. The deal contains $27 million in guaranteed money.
McKivitz was in the final year of his contract but is now signed through the 2028 season.
The 2020 fifth-round pick only became a starter
in the 2023 season, filling the void left by Mike McGlinchey’s departure following the 2022 campaign.
McKivitz was seen as the main weak link on the offensive line during that campaign, which saw the 49ers make the Super Bowl, and has since regularly been the subject of criticism for his performances.
But after giving up nine sacks in his first season as a starter, McKivitz surrendered just two in the 2024 campaign, per Pro Football Focus, indicating significant improvement from the West Virginia product.
The deal will have been in the works before the season kicked off, but the fact the 49ers have signed him to an extension a day after Brock Purdy was pressured on 59.7% of his dropbacks, per NextGen Stats, will raise some eyebrows.
Still, the reality is that McKivitz has developed into a starter whom the 49ers can rely on for average-level play on a consistent basis. The 49ers famously haven’t regularly invested premium resources in the offensive line and, while many would like to see them upgrade on McKivitz, the Niners are clearly happy with the dependability he has shown and are backing him to continue on an upward trajectory in year three as a starter.
