Back in 2012, George Kittle showed up at Iowa as a 6’3″, 200-pound kid with a dream and a famous last name—his dad, Bruce, was a former Hawkeye captain. But George? He was buried on the depth chart behind seasoned tight ends like C.J. Fiedorowicz and Jake Duzey. His first catch? A 47-yard bomb against Missouri State in 2013. Still, over his first two seasons, he had just six receptions.
It wasn’t until 2015 that he started turning heads, hauling in 20 passes for 290 yards and six touchdowns. By his senior year in 2016, Kittle had become the go-to guy in Iowa’s tight end room, which included future NFL talent like Noah Fant. He posted career highs with 22 catches for 314 yards and four touchdowns, including a standout game against North Dakota State with five receptions for 110 yards.
The TE wrapped up his college career with 48 receptions for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns (despite battling injury). Not flashy numbers, but enough to catch the 49ers‘ eye in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Fast forward to now, and after wrapping up his eighth season in San Francisco, Kittle signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract extension with the team.
And now, the Niners’ GM, John Lynch, recalled that time when they drafted Kittle in the fifth round. “In 2017, our first year with the 49ers, we selected a skinny tight end from Iowa whom we were really excited about. We had high hopes, but no one knew that he would become the player that he is today. George’s leadership, enthusiasm for the game, for his teammates, and the Faithful are truly unique and special,” Lynch said after extending the TE’s contract.
#49ers GM John Lynch on signing TE George Kittle to a 4-year extension:
“In 2017, our first year with the 49ers, we selected a skinny tight end from Iowa whom we were really excited about. We had high hopes, but no one knew that he would become the player that he is today.…
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) April 29, 2025
“He is an outstanding representation for the 49ers on the field and is an outstanding representative for the organization off the field with his investment in the local and military communities. He has a great sense of pride in his role and has put in the work to be one of the best tight ends in the NFL.” Indeed! The 31-year-old TE is leading the franchise with receptions and receiving yards.
In a career spanning eight years, the six-time pro bowler has been breaking tackles like he’s late for something. The guy had 538 receptions for 7,380 receiving yards, which makes him the third tight end in the NFL to record over 500 receptions and over 7K yards in his first eight seasons. He’s just behind former TE Antonio Gates and the Chiefs‘ star TE, Travis Kelce.
And there’s more. Kittle has recorded a 1,000-yard season four times in his career (2018-19 & 2023-24). Not too shabby, right? Well, get this: Kittle is one of the five tight ends in the NFL to achieve this mark, only behind Kelce (seven). The list also includes Tony Gonzalez (four), Rob Gronkowski (four), and Jason Witten (four). To top that off, take his last season, for instance.
The TE was all over the place. In 15 games, Kittle had team highs in receptions (78), receiving yards (1,106), and receiving touchdowns (eight). Safe to say when Lynch said that no one knew a skinny tight end from Iowa would become a player that he is today, he wasn’t talking the talk. After all, he’s all set to achieve another milestone as well, thanks to his four-year deal with the team.
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