The 49ers on Thursday announced offensive tackle Colton McKivitz signed a two-year extension that will keep him in San Francisco through the 2024 season.
McKivitz was due to hit restricted free agency this offseason. Instead of exploring the market, he gets a two-year extension to stay with the club that selected him in the fifth round of the 2020 draft.
The two-year deal could be a signal of the 49ers’ plans at OT this year. San Francisco may need to fill the starting right tackle spot with Mike McGlinchey likely to receive a sizable contract elsewhere in free agency.
McKivitz, who served as the swing tackle in 2021 and 2022, is the likeliest in-house candidate to replace McGlinchey. A two-year deal is at least some sign the 49ers value him more than the typical reserve offensive lineman.
It’s not a slam dunk that McKivitz will land the starting job, but this is a sign he’s at least the frontrunner for the position.
Since being taken 153rd overall, McKivitz has started five of the 28 games he’s played in, including a must-win Week 18 game in Los Angeles to end the 2021 season. He was cut to begin that year, but re-signed to the practice squad and eventually made his way to the active roster. Now the West Virginia product has a real chance to become San Francisco’s starting right tackle.
