One of the NFL’s best tight ends, and some say a hall-of-famer, hasn’t been present for the start of his team’s offseason program. And given the changes in personnel in that team in the offseason, they can hardly afford his absence.
That’d be George Kittle, and the team, of course, is the San Francisco 49ers.
The Niners’ turnover has been seemingly endless this offseason, as one name after another – linebacker Dre Greenlaw (Denver), cornerback Charvarius Ward (Indianapolis), wide receiver/ running back Deebo Samuel (Washington), safety Talanoa Hufanga (Denver), offensive lineman Aaron Banks (Green Bay) and Jaylon Moore (Kansas City), and defensive lineman Javon Hargrave (Minnesota, to name the most notable – have all left, and to say the 49ers don’t outwardly seem to have expressed much concern over the departures.
One reason for that is money. The Niners are expected to have about $42.1 million available in cap space, about the seventh-most money, according to overthecap.com, but they’re also going through a contract negotiation with quarterback Brock Purdy, who could be a free agent after the 2025 season unless the two sides work out a deal before then.
Kittle is in a similar contract situation, although Wednesday morning, the day before the NFL Draft begins at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, the tight end denied he was skipping the offseason workouts because of any kind of contract negotiation or situation.
Several reporters have speculated that Kittle could be involved in some sort of he said-they said contract dispute with the Niners, but when Diana Russini of TheAthletic.com mentioned the possibility on her X account, Kittle shot it down. “Your source is incorrect,” he wrote back.
In an eight-year career, all with San Francisco, Kittle has 538 catches for 7,380 yards and 45 touchdowns in 113 games. In that time, he’s lost only four fumbles. In 2024, in 15 games, Kittle caught 78 passes for 1,106 yards and eight touchdowns, and averaged 14.2 yards a catch.
Kittle was spotted at WWE’s annual Wrestlemania over the weekend in Las Vegas. Maybe Kittle is planning to give 17-time and current champion John Cena a run for his money.
