49ers right tackle Colton McKivitz signed a one-year extension last March, so he is entering a platform campaign. As opposed to many impending free agents who publicly downplay the appeal of a massive payday, McKivitz is a bit more upfront.
“It is a big deal. You see what guys are getting (paid) now so it’s hard to not be thinking about it, right?” McKivitz said (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). “It is a lot of money. You’re in the NFL for, obviously, winning and being good. But money is a hard thing to not think about.”
McKivitz, 29, was selected by the Niners in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. He played sparingly over his first three years in the league but was anointed the starting RT in 2023 after Mike McGlinchey defected to the Broncos in free agency.
Just before McGlinchey signed with Denver in March 2023, McKivitz inked a two-year, $4.65MM re-up, and he then agreed to the aforementioned one-year add-on in March 2024.
As such, he has earned “just” $10.27MM in his career to date, and he is due to make $3.19MM in base salary this year. So it stands to reason that he is hungrily eyeing the booming OT market.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the club would like to retain McKivitz, and Branch indicates San Francisco thinks more highly of him than former starting guard Aaron Banks, who was allowed to depart via free agency this offseason. McKivitz, who presently ranks 25th among the league’s right tackles in terms of average annual salary, said the Niners have contacted his agent to discuss an extension, but “nothing crazy is going on at the moment.”
Branch believes the team is likely offering McKivitz far less than what he would stand to earn on the open market. And after accepting several modest deals, McKivitz may have a bigger goal in mind.
In terms of Pro Football Focus’ evaluations, McKivitz improved across the board from 2023 to 2024. His uptick in play was particularly noticeable in his pass-blocking efforts, as he surrendered nine sacks and 59 pressures in 17 games in 2023 but just two sacks and 36 pressures in the same number of games last year. His 72.2 overall PFF grade placed him 37th among 140 offensive tackles.
Further improvement, or even a reprisal of his 2024 performance, should allow McKivitiz to rocket up the RT pay scale.