49ers’ Kyle Juszczyk makes eye-popping claim about his fullback, tight end roles originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Kyle Juszczyk undoubtedly has been a constant Swiss Army knife for the 49ers’ offense since his arrival on the team in 2017.
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Whether it’s San Francisco’s passing game or running attack, Juszczyk possesses the rare versatility to be able to play in any part of the field.
During the 2026 NFL offseason, George Kittle and Co. invited the 13-year veteran fullback to the Tight End University event, and when asked if he was an honorary tight end, Juszczyk made a shocking claim about his official football position and the role he actually plays.
“Am I a tight end? Am I not a tight end? I don’t know. That’s a great question,” Juszczyk told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco at the 2026 American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe.
“Unfortunately, I think I’m a tight end and not a tight end at all the wrong times. I’m a fullback when it comes to contract negotiations, which hurts, but then I’m a tight end on game day.”
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Throughout his 49ers tenure playing under coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense, Juszczyk has lined up in various positions in the backfield, the slot, out wide and as a tight end. With his multi-faceted abilities on the field, the two-time first-team All-Pro selection has seen a lot of playing time even though fullback is his official position.
“You’ve watched me play for a long time. I play everywhere. I play in that tight end position a lot,” Juszczyk also stated.
“Tight End U, it was really cool to get to go there and to get to see the other tight ends around the league. Travis [Kelce] asked me to teach a class on playing fullback because so many of these tight ends now are asked to play in the backfield. So, I had a really good time doing that.”
Throughout his 13 NFL seasons so far, Juszczyk has appeared in 206 regular-season games with 127 starts, including with the Baltimore Ravens from 2013 to 2016, as well as 16 playoff games. The 10-time Pro Bowl selection also has recorded 3,364 scrimmage yards and 27 total touchdowns in both the regular season and the playoffs.
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Despite being listed as a fullback, which is a position that slowly has been phasing out of the NFL, Juszczyk remains a valuable asset to the 49ers not only because of his on-field contributions, but also due to his character, attitude and leadership.
