Kyle Juszczyk has one teammate, George Kittle, as a co-founder of Tight End University. Another co-founder, Travis Kelce, recently invited him to attend and speak at the TEU. That naturally raises the question: Is the 35-year-old a tight end or a fullback? When Matt Maiocco asked him exactly that at the 2026 American Century Championship golf tournament, Juszczyk gave a telling answer.

“Am I a tight end? Am I not a tight end? I don’t know. That’s a great question,” he said last week. “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.”

There’s a sharp contrast between Juszczyk’s role in San Francisco 49ers. From a contract point of view, he’s definitely a full-back. After the 2024 season, the 49ers released Juszczyk, but he briefly tested free agency before re-signing on a two-year deal worth $7.5 million in base value, $8 million with incentives, and $7 million guaranteed

During the same season, however, Juszczyk proved that he’s more than just a fullback. To put that into perspective, the 10-time Pro Bowler lined up in the backfield on 169 snaps in the 2025 season as a fullback and inline on 190 snaps, where a tight end normally lines up. At the same time, he also played 159 snaps in the slot and 55 snaps out wide, working as a receiver. Last but not least, he also took a snap as a quarterback.

So, from the standpoint of his role, it’s fair to say Juszczyk is more than just a fullback. And that makes sense. After all, despite becoming one of the league’s best fullbacks, he didn’t begin his football career at the position. In fact, after playing tight end, wide receiver, quarterback, running back, and linebacker in high school, Juszczyk committed to Harvard as a tight end and spent four seasons playing at the position for the Crimson.

Across four seasons, he tallied 125 receptions for over 1,500 yards and 22 touchdowns. But he failed to become a proper tight end in the league. In fact, just before the Senior Bowl, he switched positions. Now, he’s the second-highest full-back in the league, trailing behind the New York Giants‘ Patrick Ricard at $7.63 million.

As for the tight ends, his teammate, George Kittle, is leading the group with an annual average value of $19.1 million. That said, Kyle Juszczyk is now entering the final year of his two-year deal. Whether he’ll sign another contract with the 49ers next year, or will become a free agent, or have something else planned remains to be seen.