The San Francisco 49ers are in reboot mode this offseason. As part of that, the team parted ways with 17 players during free agency, clearing future cap space to absorb quarterback Brock Purdy’s upcoming contract. Purdy is in the final year of his rookie deal and is likely to get an extension this year. Well, it’s rather a question of how much than if. But speaking of extensions, another offensive star on the Niners roster is also in the last year of his deal. TE George Kittle, who’s wrapping up a $75 million contract. His recent absence from the team’s OTAs sparked an interesting debate. The Niners kicked off their first OTA of the offseason this week.

And while Brock Purdy, amid his extension talks, showed up at the team facility. Kittle was missing, instead spending his weekend at WrestleMania. That led people to wonder if there’s some tension brewing between the front office and their offensive star. A report from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini added more fuel to the fire, seemingly confirming those concerns. On Wednesday, in a post on X, Dianna Russini reported, “Brock Purdy’s appearance at 49ers OTAs is a positive sign as extension talks continue between San Francisco and its QB. George Kittle’s absence is also contract-related, sources say. And the two sides remain far apart.”

But in a dramatic turn of events, Kittle himself came forward to refute the claim. Replying directly to Dianna’s post, George wrote, “Your source is incorrect.” Dianna’s post also featured a photo of Kittle with the text written across it, “Kittle wants to become the NFL’s highest-paid tight end, per source.“

The OTAs are voluntary, and several players chose to skip them. It’s not the first time the Niners’ star has missed these offseason sessions either. On Tuesday, San Francisco‘s GM John Lynch gave an update on Kittle’s extension talks during an interview. “We’ve had good communication, good talks, and we’ll see where that goes,” Lynch said.

But Dianna Russini’s post about Kittle’s alleged contract demands didn’t land well with fans. Netizens flooded the comment section, bashing the reporter for spreading misinformation and questioning her credibility as a journalist.

Internet calls out The Athletic reporter over George Kittle report

Russini found herself in hot water after George Kittle denied her claims about his contract talks. One user commented under Dianna’s post, saying, “I love when these stupid know-nothing media types get smacked around, lmao.” Another user took a shot at her credibility, writing, “Losing more and more credibility by the day.” One user called out Dianna for not apologizing to Kittle after he publicly refuted her claim, writing, “Not even going to reply to the guy… isn’t that kind of the least you owe him to set the record straight?” Others didn’t hold back either, with another comment reading, “Time to start working on that resume, and clean up your sources.”

Amidst the drama, Dianna responded by posting another video on X, where she discussed the situation with former QB Chase Daniel. In the video, Dianna says, “There were just so many people sharing about this that I knew it wasn’t wrong, and it’s not wrong. It comes down to semantics.” She pointed out that Kittle is being offered a deal that technically guarantees him the highest-paid TE status. But overall, the numbers fall short compared to Cardinals Trey McBride’s recent extension. McBride signed a four-year, $76 million deal with $43 million guaranteed with Arizona on April 3.

“So, while I’m sure George is mad that it’s out there, the truth of the matter is he wants to be paid… Let me summarize here. George Kittle wanted to be the highest-paid tight end in the league, but the Niners aren’t likely going to do that,” added Russini. Well, the internet, for now, isn’t buying the semantics argument. And if anything, it’s only fueling the fire around Kittle’s contract saga.