Kyle Juszczyk is running it back with the San Francisco 49ers. This is despite the fact that the Niners initially decided to waive the All-Pro fullback, thereby making him an unrestricted free agent.
Juszczyk tested the waters of free agency. He reportedly met with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, which led to an offer from the team. While the details of Pittsburgh’s offer were not revealed, ESPN reported that Juszczyk “took less than what the Pittsburgh Steelers were offering to return to San Francisco.”
Ultimately, the nine-time Pro Bowler put pen to paper on a two-year deal worth $8 million to remain with the Niners.
Juszczyk took to Instagram on Wednesday to send a heartfelt message to the 49ers fans after his big financial sacrifice.
“The amount of love and support thrown my way from the Faithful this past week has been nothing short of amazing!” he wrote. “I can’t thank you all enough and I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am to continue on this quest for six in the red and gold!”
It is clear that Juszczyk’s decision to run it back had a lot to do with his love for the San Francisco faithful.
Juszczyk spent the first four seasons of his career with the Baltimore Ravens after they drafted him in the fourth round of the 2103 NFL Draft. However, there’s no denying that it was in San Francisco that the former Harvard standout made his name in the league.
Juszczyk has played eight years for the Niners. During that time, he’s registered 1,895 receiving yards on 184 catches. He has 13 receiving touchdowns to his name, along with 212 rushing yards and an additional five rushing touchdowns.
At this point, there’s no disputing that he’s firmly established himself as one of the greatest fullbacks in Niners franchise history.