San Francisco 49ers have another reason to be grateful for superstar tight end George Kittle
The San Francisco 49ers owe a lot to George Kittle. The fifth-round tight end was the focal point of the offense during much of the first years of the Kyle Shanahan era and has remained one of their most important players even as they have stacked more superstar talent on their attack. Kittle was the […]
The San Francisco 49ers owe a lot to George Kittle. The fifth-round tight end was the focal point of the offense during much of the first years of the Kyle Shanahan era and has remained one of their most important players even as they have stacked more superstar talent on their attack.
Kittle was the best tight end in football last season, earning first-team All-Pro honors after recording his first 1,000-yard season since 2019.
Though injury prevented Kittle from having the desired impact in the Niners' Super Bowl 58 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, there was no doubting his overall influence on San Francisco getting to that stage.
Kittle had the highest receiving grade among all tight ends (min. 10 targets) from Pro Football Focus, with his 2.2 yards per route run also tops for the position. Additionally, he led the league in run blocking grade among tight ends.
Per Sports Info Solutions, Kittle had the highest total Expected Points Added for tight ends in the receiving game. He was second in EPA per target and positive play rate (min. 25 targets).
Now, after such an impressive season, Kittle has given the 49ers another reason to be thankful for him, agreeing to restructure his contract, saving San Francisco close to $10 million in cap space, per Field Yates of ESPN.
Kittle, Fred Warner and Javon Hargrave have all restructured deals this offseason to give the Niners some room for maneuver against the cap. Arik Armstead was released after refusing to take a pay cut.
A free agent in 2026, Kittle may be entering the final few years of his time with the Niners, but the restructure puts San Francisco in a better position to continue their success in what could be his last two seasons with the franchise.
