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49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk begrudgingly accepted a pay cut before inking a new deal with the 49ers prior to the start of the upcoming season, but he doesn’t sound too worried about his finances thanks in no small part to what his wife Kristin has been able to bring to the table thanks to her growing fashion brand.
Travis Kelce and the Chiefs obviously got plenty of attention last season thanks to his blossoming relationship with Taylor Swift, but Kristin Juszczyk also found herself dealing with the spotlight thanks to the custom jacket she whipped up for the musical icon who wore it to Kansas City’s wild card showdown with the Dolphins.
Kristin—who’s also repurposed jerseys and other apparel to make one-of-a-kind pieces for notable names including Simone Biles, Brittany Mahomes, and Olivia Culpo—arguably found herself overshadowing her husband Kyle Juszczyk thanks to her eye-catching designs, and she got the chance to take the side hustle to a new level when she inked an official licensing deal with the NFL midway through the postseason.
In 2021, Kyle signed a five-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers worth $27,000,000, but in March, he agreed to restructure his contract to help the team free up some cap space and ensure he’d still be on the roster when the 2024 campaign rolls around (he was slated to make $5.75 million this season but settled for $4.55 million—a $1.2 million difference).
During an interview with The San Francisco Chronicle, Juszczyk broke down the internal debate he had before deciding to work with the 49ers while noting he ultimately didn’t want to uproot his life by signing with another team.
He also noted Kristin’s business venture has helped put a serious dent in the lost income, saying:
“Quite frankly she’s already made up for my cut. So that definitely helps.
“You want to feel valuable. You want to feel wanted. And, so, it stinks when they tell you you’re not worth that much, and your ego comes into play, and that does hurt a little bit. But when it comes down to purely financials, that softens the blow.”
When you consider Kyle has earned close to $38 million in contract earnings over the course of the 11 seasons he’s spent between the Ravens and the 49ers, something tells me he and Kristin would’ve been able to survive regardless, but you have to give her major props for taking full advantage of the opportunity that’s presented itself.