PALM BEACH, Fla. —The 49ers surprised much of the NFL when they signed tight end Luke Farrell to their most expensive free-agent contract of the offseason on March 13.
The Jacksonville Jaguars' 2021 fifth-round NFL draft pick agreed to a three-year contract worth up to $20.25 million with the 49ers. While at the NFL Annual Meetings, coach Kyle Shanahan explained that even though the team has All-Pro George Kittle on the roster, the need for a talented blocking tight end is important for his offensive scheme.
The 49ers previously employed Charlie Woerner, who now is with the Atlanta Falcons and Eric Saubert, who recently signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
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“We really needed a No. 2 blocking tight end,” Shanahan said. “Losing Charlie, we thought we haven’t been able to replace him yet. Eric came in and did some good things for us last year, but for Luke to be available where we got him price-wise, I thought we got one of the better blockers in this league and someone who can also bring something in the pass game also.”
Shanahan has had a consistently successful run-game, even before his arrival in the Bay Area, and having a second blocking tight end has been a large part of that production.
“I think it’s one of the critical things in running the ball,” Shanahan said. “To balance out the offensive line, to balance out two sides of the formation, when you have the threat to go to the defensive end on both sides of the ball is a big deal.”
With both Kittle and Farrell on the roster, Shanahan still claims that the 49ers still could be interested in selecting a tight end in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, even with needs at several positions across the roster.
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“I don’t think we are really ruled out on any player,” Shanahan said. "None of that really rules us out, but it definitely helps us out going into the draft having a little more depth there.”
At 31 years old, Kittle has not skipped a beat, logging four 1,000-yard receiving campaigns over his eight NFL seasons, including both of his 2023 and 2024 campaigns. The addition of Farrell could keep the veteran tight end on his All-Pro path of production.
“Kittle is really good in pass protection, but you don’t always want to use a guy in pass protection that is really good in routes. So having another tight end with the length to block defensive ends is important so you can double-team the inside with the o-line and get someone like Kittle out on routes.”