Colton McKivitz contract extension could be signaling uncertain future news for the 49ers that would continue closing a winning window
Is there a bigger reason for the San Francisco 49ers wanting to get the Colton McKivitz deal done now?
The San Francisco 49ers got their season off to a solid start on Sunday, defeating division rival Seattle Seahawks 17 to 13 on the road. The 49ers under head coach Kyle Shanahan are trending towards the end of their winning window, a chance to finally claim another Super Bowl championship for the trophy case, and will need to make a strong push over the next couple of seasons. They have done their best as an organization to retain as much talent as possible.
We saw another example of that intention on Monday when it was announced that the 49ers had signed starting right tackle Colton McKivitz to a contract extension. The former West Virginia standout signed a 3-year, $45 million contract that will keep him in San Francisco through the 2028 NFL season. $27 million of that total will be fully guaranteed.
In a vacuum, signing a starting offensive lineman to a new deal is a great thing. Offensive line play across the NFL is quite poor, so you can never have enough quality ones. McKivitz is now in his third year as a starter for the 49ers, and will be a mainstay on the right side of the offensive line for the foreseeable future.
The issue with McKivitz, and the reason that some may be a little confused by the deal, is that he hasn’t been a very effective offensive lineman during his career so far. He has largely been considered a very replaceable option up front, and many people expected that the team would let him walk following his contract running out following the 2025 season. General manager John Lynch and the staff opted to keep him in the fold on an affordable contract for a starter.
While $15 million per year isn’t a hefty price tag for a starting offensive tackle, it doesn’t change the fact that McKivitz still isn’t the quality of player that deserves that much investment. There may be, however, a bigger reason why the 49ers may have made it a priority to get this deal done. The future outlook of the offensive tackle position may need to substantially raise the floor following the 2025 NFL season.
With McKivitz originally set to hit free agency following the season, there was a chance you were going to have to replace one starting offensive tackle going into 2026. You also can’t completely ignore Trent Williams and his longevity at left tackle. Williams, who was originally a first round selection back in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma, has been one of the very best left tackles in NFL history. He is now in his 16th season in the league, and has played in an astounding 189 games in his outstanding career.
Prior to the 2026 NFL season, Williams will turn 38 years old, which is ancient for an NFL offensive lineman. He is still playing at a very high level, but at some point, Father Time usually ends up winning. Could this deal with McKivitz be signaling some uncertainty about Williams’ future? That is uncertain right now.
With his age, experience level, and coming off of an injury-riddled season in 2024, however, it is not unrealistic to think that conversation could take place. In case it does, this McKivitz deal could be adding some insurance for the 49ers squad to maintain a winning window. The last thing you want to do is replace two starting offensive tackles in one offseason. That rarely ever works out well. With McKivitz in place, you make certain there is a level of stability.
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