Some guys just want to stay in their current situation no matter how much it costs. That seems to be the case with San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
After talks with GM John Lynch, Juszczyk agreed to a reworked contract that saved the team a reported $4 million in cap space. It frankly was the only way the sides were staying together. For Juszyczyk, there was no other option.
"Honestly, it hurt," Juszczyk said to Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com. "When John came to me and asked, I wasn't necessarily expecting it, and I think it's natural for anybody that it kind of hurts your ego. It hurts your heart a little bit. I do understand that it's a business, but I do feel like I'm as valuable as what I was expected to get paid."
Now, that said, Juszczyk remains the NFL's highest-paid fullback. He also may be the most valuable on the field. This is a guy who repeatedly sacrifices his body and gets almost none of the glory for a winning program. So he has earned his money.
"All that said, there definitely was a process that we had to go through — and I had to come to terms with it and that sort of thing," he said. "At the end of the day, though, I really, truly, I wanted to be a Niner. This is where I wanted to be. I absolutely love it here."
Juszczyk and the defending NFC champion 49ers open the season Sept. 9 at home against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football.
