George Kittle
George Krieger Kittle is an American professional football tight end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes and was selected by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft. Kittle is a seven-time Pro Bowler and was a first-team All-Pro in 2019 and 2023.
Early life
Kittle was born on October 9, 1993, in Madison, Wisconsin, and moved to Iowa in 2000. He attended Iowa City West High School in Iowa City, Iowa; Cedar Falls High School in Cedar Falls, Iowa; and Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma. Kittle committed to the University of Iowa to play college football. His father, Bruce, was a four-year letterman and co-captain of the 1982 Rose Bowl squad at Iowa and is a former college football coach. His mother, Jan Krieger, is in the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union Hall of Fame and played softball and earned All-America honors in basketball at Drake University.College career
Kittle played at Iowa from 2012 to 2016 under head coach Kirk Ferentz. As a freshman, Kittle had a limited role behind senior C. J. Fiedorowicz, junior Ray Hamilton, and sophomore Jake Duzey. He had his first collegiate reception, which went for 47 yards, against the Missouri State Bears. Overall, Kittle caught five passes for 108 yards.Iowa's tight end unit remained crowded for Kittle in the 2014 season. Along with the return of Hamilton and Duzey, junior Henry Krieger-Coble added to the depth. Kittle had a lone reception for 25 yards against Maryland as his only catch of the season.
Kittle's role expanded in the 2015 season. On September 26, 2015, against North Texas, he scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 43-yard reception from quarterback C. J. Beathard. Overall, Kittle had 20 receptions for 290 yards and six touchdowns in the 2015 season. His six receiving touchdowns ranked sixth in the Big Ten Conference.
As a senior in 2016, Kittle headlined a tight end unit that contained junior Peter Pekar and freshman Noah Fant. He had his best statistical game against North Dakota State with five receptions for 110 yards. In his senior season, Kittle recorded 22 receptions for 314 yards and four touchdowns. During his collegiate career, Kittle had 48 receptions for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns.
College statistics
Professional career
Pre-draft
As a top tight end prospect, Kittle was one of 19 collegiate tight ends to receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He completed the majority of drills, but opted to skip the short shuttle and three-cone drill. Kittle's overall performance was well received, as he finished third among tight ends in the broad jump, fifth in the 40-yard dash, and finished sixth among his position group in the vertical jump. On March 27, 2017, Kittle participated at Iowa's Pro Day, along with C. J. Beathard, Desmond King, Jaleel Johnson, Greg Mabin, Riley McCarron, and four other prospects. He completed his combine drills, finishing the short shuttle, three-cone drill, and also ran positional drills. Scouts and team representatives from all 32 NFL teams attended, including Cincinnati Bengals tight end coach Jonathan Hayes. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Kittle was projected to be a third or fourth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the fifth best tight end prospect in the draft by NFL analystMike Mayock, the sixth best by NFL analyst Gil Brandt, and the eighth best tight end by NFLDraftScout.com.2017 season
The San Francisco 49ers selected Kittle in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft. He was reunited with Iowa teammate C. J. Beathard, whom the 49ers drafted in the third round. On May 4, 2017, the 49ers signed Kittle to a four-year, $2.69 million contract that included a signing bonus of $298,287.Throughout training camp, Kittle competed against Garrett Celek, Vance McDonald, Logan Paulsen, Blake Bell, and Cole Hikutini for the job as the starting tight end. Head coach Kyle Shanahan named Kittle the starting tight end to start the regular season.
Kittle made his NFL debut in the season-opener against the Carolina Panthers and caught five passes for 27 yards during the 23–3 loss. He caught his first NFL reception on a 13-yard pass from Brian Hoyer on the first drive and was tackled by Panthers' safety Mike Adams. During a Week 5 26–23 overtime road loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Kittle had seven receptions for 83 yards and his first NFL touchdown. During Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals, Kittle caught three passes for 27 yards before leaving the eventual 20–10 loss with a leg injury. He was inactive due to the injury and missed the next game against the New York Giants.
During a Week 16 44–33 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kittle caught three passes for 42 yards and his second touchdown of the season. In the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams, he had his first 100-yard receiving game during the 34–13 road victory, finishing with four receptions for 100 yards.
Kittle finished his rookie year with 43 receptions for 515 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games and seven starts.
2018 season
During the season-opening 24–16 road loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Kittle had five receptions for 90 yards. Two weeks later against the Kansas City Chiefs, he caught five passes for 79 yards in the 38–27 road loss. In the next game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Kittle recorded six receptions for 125 yards and an 82-yard touchdown during the narrow 29–27 road loss.During Week 7 against the Rams, Kittle recorded five receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown in the 39–10 loss. Two weeks later against the Oakland Raiders on Thursday Night Football, he caught four passes for 108 yards and a touchdown in the 34–3 blowout victory. In the next game against the Giants on Monday Night Football, Kittle had nine receptions for 83 yards during the 27–23 loss.
During a Week 14 20–14 victory over the Denver Broncos, Kittle set a franchise record for receiving yards by a tight end with 210 on seven receptions, all coming in the first half, as well as becoming the first 49ers tight end to surpass 1,000 receiving yards. Two weeks later against the Chicago Bears, he was the leading receiver with seven receptions for 74 yards in the 14–9 loss. In the regular season finale against the Rams, Kittle recorded nine receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown during the 48–32 road loss. He broke Travis Kelce's single-season receiving yards record for a tight end, less than an hour after Kelce broke the record.
Kittle finished his second professional season with 88 receptions for 1,377 yards and five touchdowns in 16 games and starts. He was named as a Pro Bowler for the first time. Kittle was ranked 29th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.
2019 season
Through the first four weeks of 2019 NFL season, during which the 49ers played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers, Kittle earned the highest overall Pro Football Focus grade of any player in the NFL.Following a Week 4 bye, the 49ers faced the Cleveland Browns at home on Monday Night Football. Kittle finished the 31–3 victory with six receptions for 70 yards and his first touchdown of the season. In the next game against the Rams, Kittle recorded eight receptions for 103 yards during the 20–7 road victory. Three weeks later against the Cardinals, Kittle suffered a knee injury on the first play of the game and was forced to miss the next few plays before returning to the game and catching six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown in the 28–25 road victory. However, he missed the next two games due to the injury.
Kittle returned in time for the Week 12 matchup against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. He finished the 37–8 victory with six receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown. Two weeks later against the New Orleans Saints, Kittle had six receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown, including a crucial 4th and 2 catch that went for 39 yards, 17 of which he made while being face-masked by Saints cornerback Marcus Williams while carrying two other defenders. The catch set up the game-winning field goal as the 49ers narrowly won on the road 48–46. In the next game against the Atlanta Falcons, Kittle recorded 13 receptions for 134 yards during the 29–22 loss. Following the loss, he was named to his second Pro Bowl with over 340,000 votes. During a Week 16 34–31 comeback victory over the Rams, Kittle had five receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown.
Kittle finished the 2019 season with 85 receptions for 1,053 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games and starts. He was named as a First Team All-Pro for the 2019 season. The 49ers finished atop the NFC West with a 13–3 record and earned the #1-seed in the NFC. In the Divisional Round against the Vikings, Kittle recorded three receptions for 16 yards during the 27–10 victory. During the NFC Championship Game against the Packers, he had a 19-yard reception in the 37–20 victory as the 49ers advanced to Super Bowl LIV. In the Super Bowl against the Chiefs, Kittle caught four passes for 36 yards during the 31–20 loss. He was ranked seventh by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.
2020 season
On August 13, 2020, Kittle signed a five-year, $75 million contract with the 49ers with an $18 million signing bonus, making him the highest-paid tight end in the league.After missing two games due to a knee injury, Kittle returned in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football, finishing with 15 receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown as the 49ers lost 20–25. Two weeks later against the Rams on Sunday Night Football, he had seven receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown in the 24–16 victory. On November 5, Kittle was placed on injured reserve with a broken bone in his foot. He was activated on December 25. The next day against the Cardinals, Kittle led the 49ers in receiving with four receptions for 92 yards in the 20–12 road victory.
Kittle finished the 2020 season with 48 receptions for 64 yards and two touchdowns in eight games and starts. He was ranked 50th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.