49ers Could Sign Former Ravens 1st-Round TE to Fill George Kittle Void
TE Hayden Hurst is still a free agent.
George Kittle is the kind of player whose absence can change the entire shape of an offense.
When news broke that the San Francisco 49ers had placed him on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, it cast a bit of a shadow over the first month of their season. Kittle won’t be eligible to return until Week 6 at the earliest, leaving San Francisco with Luke Farrell, Jake Tonges and Brayden Willis in its TEs room.
Tonges caught three passes and a touchdown in San Francisco’s Week 1 win over the Seahawks, but adding a vet to help get the team by while Kittle is out may not be a bad idea. Mike Masala of Niners Wire thinks Hayden Hurst might be a solid option.
“Hurst, 32, played at South Carolina from 2015-17, earning All-SEC honors in his final season before the Baltimore Ravens took him with the 25th overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft,” Masala wrote. “He’s also played for the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers. In 88 career games, he’s caught 203 passes for 1,975 yards and 15 touchdowns.”
A Look Back at Hurst’s Most Recent Seasons
GettyShould the 49ers sign veteran tight end Hayden Hurst with George Kittle on injured reserve?
With the Bengals in 2022, Hurst became a reliable option for QB Joe Burrow, catching 52 passes for 414 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games, including a key playoff score against the Buffalo Bills.
The 2023 season in Carolina told a different story. Hurst started strong but suffered a concussion in November that was later diagnosed as post-traumatic amnesia, effectively ending his season. He finished with 18 catches for 184 yards and a touchdown in nine games. By the end of that season, Hurst spoke openly about his recovery and desire to play again, and he returned to the field in 2024.
He caught on with the Chargers, but never found much of a rhythm in Jim Harbaugh’s offense. Eight catches for 73 yards across nine appearances and another late-season injury pushed him to the sidelines again, though he was cleared by year’s end.
Should the San Francisco 49ers Sign TE Hayden Hurst With George Kittle on IR?
For the 49ers, the logic here is pretty straightforward. Kittle’s absence leaves not only a gap in production but also a missing presence in the huddle, and Hurst might be a nice bridge. Instead of overloading Farrell or Tonges with responsibilities they’ve never carried, San Francisco could bring in Hurst as a stabilizer who understands how to play within structure.
Hurst also provides the kind of skill set that might make life easier for Brock Purdy. Even if he isn’t the mismatch creator Kittle is, he can still keep defenses honest in the red zone and over the middle of the field.
And perhaps most importantly, he’d come cheap. After back-to-back injury-affected years, Hurst’s market is firmly in the veteran minimum range, making him the type of low-risk addition San Francisco could add without denting the cap much.
If nothing else, it would buy time for Kittle to heal—and that’s a win in itself.
Red Sox Slugger Alex Bregman Gets Cheaper Than Expected Contract Update
Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman
It can’t go unnoticed just how important Alex Bregman has been for the Boston Red Sox throughout the 2025 campaign. Had Bregman not dealt with an injury earlier in the year, there’d be a strong argument to be made that he’s been the best player on the Red Sox roster.
Even now, with his .279 batting average and 16 home runs in 376 at-bats, there’s still something to be said about what the 31-year-old has done.
However, the question remains as to just how much money he could earn in free agency this winter, with many expecting him to opt out of his contract. Jeff Passan noted that the Red Sox understand what they have with him, so it sounds like they’re willing to pay a price if it comes down to it.
“It will take more than three years this time even though he’ll be going into his age-32 season,” Passan wrote. “After one of the more lucrative pillow contracts ever, Bregman is bound to get the five-year-plus deal at an average annual value of $35 million-plus that eluded him last winter…
“Boston recognizes what it would be losing were Bregman to embark elsewhere,” Passan wrote. “The excellent at-bats. The glove at third base. The relationships with Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell he forged during spring training. The attitude. The focus. The feeling that in this next incarnation of the Red Sox, he belongs somewhere in the middle.”
How Much Could Alex Bregman Earn in Free Agency?
Spotrac recently took a stab at how much Bregman could get in free agency. They had him coming in at six years and $158 million. Unfortunately for Bregman, if that plays out, it’d be a bit less than some expected Boston Red Sox or other teams have to pay him.
According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Boston Red Sox’s third baseman will be one of the headliners of free agency. Despite getting up there in age, this just goes to show how good Bregman has been for much of his career and short time in Boston.
“This winter’s class is expected to be headlined by three former or current Houston Astros: Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and Framber Valdez. It should also feature three of the game’s most prolific power hitters — Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso and Eugenio Suárez — and a trio of impact closers (Edwin Díaz, Aroldis Chapman and Robert Suarez),” he wrote.
Could Alex Bregman Leave the Red Sox?
Regarding how things could play out for Bregman over the next few years, Bowden noted that he’s expected to opt out of this contract and that the Boston Red Sox should be his first choice.
“Bregman, who is making $40 million this year and signed for two more years at that rate, will likely opt out of his contract and seek a longer-team deal. He missed time this season with a quad injury but has hit .299/.379/.542 in 327 plate appearances. It appears Boston would be his first choice in free agency, but he is an obvious fit with several other contending teams including the Phillies, Yankees, Tigers, Dodgers, Mariners and even the Mets.”
