George Kittle outlook
By: Jake Rajala
George Kittle was once seen as the best overall player by PFF. He is a sharp route runner, difficult to tackle in open space, and an impressive blocker. However, father time catches up to everyone, regardless of talent and position.
Kittle has had injury issues in his career. He missed two games last season, two games in 2022, and he only played in eight games in 2020!
He has only played in one game this season. Ouch.
On the bright side, Kittle may return in Week 6. He should have plenty of targets, as Brandon Aiyuk is on IR. Defenses will focus on Christian McCaffrey, especially after notching 30 touches against the Rams.
The 49ers QB1, Brock Purdy, should also return next week or in two weeks. This will help Kittle, to say the least.
So, we know the latest on Kittle. This raises a fascinating question: Is Kittle tradeable?
I believe that Kittle has a bright future. Kittle unleashed 1,106 yds in 2024, which was the second most yds he’s recorded in a single season. He also had 78 receptions, which were third most in his career.
He’s not close to being “washed up”. The mid 30s is typically when TEs bite the dust and hit a wall. Travis Kelce is 35 years old, and he is on pace to have his worst season. He was 33 when he started to really decline. Jimmy Graham retired at the age of 37.
Darren Waller is 33 years old, and he just came out of retirement. He unleashed two touchdowns in Week 4!
The best part of Kittle’s ability is that he is coached by Kyle Shanahan. Shanny will know the matchups that Kittle can exploit at all times of the game (as shown below).
I wouldn’t trade Kittle for anything less than a first rounder. Kittle is the true x-factor. He can score 20+ points often, which is hard to come by at the TE spot.
It’s also hard to project how successful college TEs will be. Kittle, Kelce, Graham, and even Gronk weren’t first round picks.
So, is Kittle the best TE out there?
I love Trey McBride a little more. He’s six years younger than Kittle. He’s also had double digit pts in each contest. I’m also an enormous fan of Dalton Kincaid. He gets the reigning MVP (Josh Allen) as his QB. There aren’t any Pro Bowl WRs on the roster, so he gets plenty of attention. Furthermore, he is 25 years old.
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