Despite taking a visit to the Steelers, 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk never wanted to leave San Francisco when he was briefly made a free agent in March.
“It was the worst three days of my life, but I’m genuinely grateful for it now,” said Jusczyzk in an interview with The Athletic’s Vic Tafur. Even though he knew “the door wasn’t shut” when he was released by the 49ers, he still said his goodbyes and considered other options.
While there was interest from other teams, Juszczyk accepted an invitation from the Steelers and met with head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
“It was a different experience,” said Juszczyk of his visit to Pittsburgh. “It was a chance to go look at a different team and I felt a lot of love from them. I got excited for a second about what possibly could be, about new beginnings and fitting into a new offense, all that type of stuff.”
However, Juszcyzk could not envision himself playing anywhere except San Francisco, and a few days later, he signed a two-year, $7.5MM deal to return for his ninth season with the 49ers. With $7MM of guaranteed money – including $3.15MM in the second year – he is confident that he will not have to deal with a similar situation next offseason.
Instead, he will have two more years as a moveable blocking and receiving weapon in Kyle Shanahan‘s offense, which is expecting a bounce-back year with the return of Christian McCaffrey.
Jusczyzk said that McCaffrey is “arguably the best player in the NFL” and “changes everything” for the 49ers offense. Both participated in the team’s offseason workouts, though McCaffrey’s workload is being carefully managed after his recent injury woes.
“He looks so healthy, he looks so explosive,” said Juszcyzk.