Kyle Juszczyk is back. Again. The 49ers cut him loose on Tuesday, but before you could even process the thought of him in another jersey, they pulled the ol’ “just kidding” and signed him back on a two-year, $8 million deal. Classic roster gymnastics. But hey, it worked. San Francisco gets to keep its Swiss Army fullback, and Juszczyk doesn’t have to clean out his locker.
If this all feels a little familiar, that’s because it is. Juszczyk and the Niners almost split last offseason, too, before he took a pay cut to stay. And really, there was never a world where Kyle Shanahan let his guy walk. Juszczyk was one of the first players the coach and GM John Lynch signed when they took over in 2017. He’s been a cornerstone of this offense ever since—blocking, catching, running, doing whatever’s needed to make this thing hum.
How important is he? Well, he’s been to the Pro Bowl every single season he’s been in San Francisco. That’s eight straight. In 2023, he finally got the All-Pro nod, earning first-team honors. Then in 2024? Second-team. The man is aging like fine wine. And sure, fullbacks aren’t exactly headline material in today’s NFL, but Juszczyk isn’t just any fullback. He’s caught nearly 400 passes in his career, racked up over 2,600 receiving yards, and found the end zone 24 times. Not bad for a position some teams don’t even use anymore.
His teammates? Yeah, they’re fired up. George Kittle wasted no time posting a picture with Christian McCaffrey and Juszczyk, writing, “Boys are back together.” McCaffrey added a simple “Back” with the hands-up emoji. Sometimes, less is more.
At 33, Juszczyk might be on the back end of his career, but the Niners clearly believe he’s got more juice left. And if Shanahan still has a place for him in this offense, who’s arguing? One thing’s for sure—Juszczyk isn’t just back. He never really left.
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