The San Francisco 49ers are journeying toward a championship, but one of their veteran stars is losing money in the process.
The 49ers have the highest odds to win Super Bowl LIX (tied with the Kansas City Chiefs) at +600 due in large part to San Francisco's retention of supreme talent.
Of course, to maintain a roster overflowing with talent is an expensive endeavor. The 49ers currently rank No. 2 in the NFL in total cap allocations at $267M, according to Spotrac.
San Francisco's depth chart is packed with star-level players, some of whom could stand to fatten their wallets by joining another franchise that has more money to go around.
A few teams like the 49ers exist across all sports at any given time -- serious championship contenders who force some of their players into a difficult career choice: is it more important to take the most money available or to take a pay cut for the chance at a title?
San Francisco's fullback Kyle Juszczyk was recently put into this position, and it profoundly bothered him.
Juszczyk, an eight-time Pro Bowler, demands premium fiscal value on the NFL market, but he was asked by 49ers general manager John Lynch to take a pay cut this offseason.
Juszczyk was faced with either swallowing his disappointment and deferring to Lynch's directive or presumably being released by San Francisco (as Arik Armstead was in March after declining to take a pay cut).
Juszczyk was understandably upset about the situation, according to NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco.
"Honestly, it hurt," Juszczyk said, per Maiocco. "I wasn't necessarily expecting it. It kind of hurts your ego and hurts your heart a little bit. I understand that it's a business, but I do feel like I'm valuable as what I was expected to get paid."
Juszczyk ultimately accepted the salary cut, although he was adamant that doing so would not remove his status as the NFL's highest-paid fullback. It will not, as Juszczyk's annual $4.5M salary still tops all fullbacks.
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