One of the NFL's preeminent fullbacks, the San Francisco 49ers' Kyle Juszczyk has been rubbing shoulder pads with tight ends quite a bit lately.
So, is he a fullback or a tight end?
Well, as Juszczyk explained, his paycheck certainly says he's a fullback.
"Am I a tight end? Am I not a tight end? I don't know. That's a great question," Juszczyk said recently from the 2026 American Century Championship golf event in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area's . "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."
At least this offseason, Juszczyk has been living the tight end high life. The 10-time Pro Bowler -- as a fullback -- landed an invitation to the annual Tight End University, run by teammate George Kittle, Kansas City Chiefs all-time great Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen, a color analyst who was a 14-year NFL vet with three Pro Bowl selections.
More impressive than that, Juszczyk and wife Kristin scored an invitation to the social event of the year -- Kelce and Taylor Swift's wedding.
Juszczyk's wife, a designer, memorably made a puffer jacket for Swift fashioned like a Kelce jersey.
The two-time All-Pro admitted he signed a non-disclosure agreement related to the Swift-Kelce ceremony. He was able to give a rave review of the evening, though.
"I can just say that it truly was such an incredible time," the 13-year NFL veteran said. "It was so much fun. It was so much genuine love and just fun and passion there, that we just had the best time."
Juszczyk also clarified that it was Kelce who invited him to participate and speak at Tight End U, as the positions so often overlap in terms of their duties.
"Tight End U, it was really cool to get to go there and to get to see the other tight ends around the league," Juszczyk . "Travis 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."
When it comes to Juszczyk, classifying him simply as a fullback is a bit misleading.
In 2025, "Juice" lined up in the backfield on 169 snaps, inline on 190, in the slot on 159, out wide 55 times and even had one snap at quarterback, according to PFF.
However, as Juszczyk mentioned -- with a grin -- when you're designated as a fullback, the pay discrepancy for the position and tight ends is staggering.
The 35-year-old fullback is tied for second at the position in total contract value ($7.5 million) and average per year ($3.75 million), trailing the New York Giants' Patrick Ricard ($7.63 million; $3.815 million).
In the land of the tight end, Kittle is the front runner with a $76.4 million deal that averages $19.1 million per season. Fellow 49ers tight ends Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell each make more per season that Juszczyk, as well (an even $4 million).
Juszczyk, who began his career playing four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, is entering the last year of his current contract and his 10th season with the 49ers. It's a contract that he signed in 2025 after he’d been released by San Francisco due to a base salary of $4.1 million.
Chances are he won't be a tight end when he negotiates his next deal.
