STATELINE, Nev. – Kyle Juszczyk knows he soon will have an outlet for any frustrations, such as a three-putt bogey on the 18th hole at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Friday’s opening round of the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament.
Juszczyk and his 49ers teammates are two weeks away from putting on helmets and shoulder pads at training camp, for their first live contact since last season.
“It’s way easier than this,” Juszczyk said of his football duties as he walked off the 18th green. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s been a long offseason.”
How long was it?
For Juszcyzk, one stretch of it tormented him. He got released at the onset of free agency in March, visited the Pittsburgh Steelers, and ultimately agreed to return to the 49ers on a two-year contract.
“It was the worst three days of my life,” Juszczyk said, “but I genuinely am grateful for it now. It gave me so much perspective to kind of step back and see how good I had it, and then get the chance to come back to it. So few people have that opportunity.”
Juszczyk, a nine-time Pro Bowl fullback, joined the 49ers in 2017 and still considers himself the longest-tenured player on their current roster, his brief free agency be damned.
“We jokingly called it like a living funeral,” Juszczyk said. “I got all my goodbye texts – “How much we love and appreciated you” — but then I got to come back. So I got to feel that love from everybody. And I’m locked up for two years. I don’t have to deal with this next year and I’m thankful for it now that it’s over.”
Juszczyk came away with no points in Friday’s opening round (eight pars, six bogeys, four double bogeys). He tees off the back nine Saturday at 9:32 a.m. with 49ers cohort George Kittle and Stanford product Justin Reid of the New Orleans Saints.
Juszczyk tied for 64th in last year’s tournament debut, before the 49ers’ NFC title defense came to a crashing halt with a 6-11, last-place record.
Although Juszczyk returns to the 49ers, over 20 players left in free agency, including eight starters.
“Hey, change is a good thing. We weren’t too good last year,” Juszczyk said. “We have a good combination of change but you also have your centerpieces.”
That includes a slew of team captains from past years: George Kittle, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams.
They’ll blend in with a slew of newcomers, especially on defense where the 49ers used their first five draft picks.
“It’s good to inject some new blood in there,” Juszczyk said. “It is kind of a young man’s league, so you need some young guys to come in and make contributions. That’s a big role for us this year, is bringing those guys along quickly.”
That said, blocking for a refreshed McCaffrey could be the key to the 49ers’ direction.
“Christian is arguably the best player in the NFL. He was the offensive player of the year two years ago,” Juszczyk said. “He changes everything, and he looks incredible. He looks so healthy, he looks so explosive. It changes everything.”
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Changing uniforms wasn’t in the cards for Juszczyk, who said he “genuinely enjoyed” his visit with the Steelers. “But at the end of the day, it just wasn’t enough to trump what I had in San Francisco,” Juszczyk said. “I just couldn’t pull the plug.
“I literally know everyone. I know the chefs, the custodians, the PR team, the community team. I know all the players. It’s just a familiarity,” Juszczyk added. “My home is there. We bought a house back in 2017, and that’s home. And to be in California, to be on what I think is a really good team, a team that I think has a really great opportunity this year. So there’s too many good things to leave.”