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Many believed
George Kittle could have a breakout season in 2018. No one predicted he would become the NFL single-season record holder for receiving yards by a tight end and have an 88-catch, 1,377-yard season with five touchdowns. Even more impressive is the fact that Kittle did so in just his second season as a pro.
The San Francisco 49ers tight end gives a lot of credit to his head coach and play caller, Kyle Shanahan, who, despite having won just 10 games over the past two years, is still viewed by many around the NFL as one of the top offensive minds in the game.
Kittle is in Atlanta, Georgia this week taking in the festivities leading to Super Bowl 53 and promoting his partnership with Skittles. He joined
Pro Football Talk Live from Radio Row on Thursday and shared what it's like playing for Shanahan.
"I think I'm one of the luckiest guys in the NFL," Kittle said. "Just to be around that creativity. Literally, I feel like I'm open half the time I'm on the field and that's just his schemes and his play actions and stuff. It's just really fun to be on a team with a guy that thinks like that."
What was even more impressive about Kittle's performance this past season is that he broke the record while catching passes from three different quarterbacks. One of the reasons experts predicted a big year from the young tight end was because he would have quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for a full season.
Garoppolo went down with a torn ACL in Week 3.
Instead of fans being treated to the Garoppolo-to-Kittle connection for 16 games, the tight end went on to catch passes from second-year quarterbacks C.J. Beathard and then Nick Mullens.
Kittle was asked how much bigger of a year he feels he might have had with a healthy Garoppolo throwing him the football.
"Jimmy G, he's really good," Kittle responded. "I wish you guys could see all the stuff he does in practice because you guys have just been kind of teased on what he can do, just like the six games he played for us, and then the two-and-a-half that he played for us this season.
"He's going to do a lot of good things for us, and I think he's going to help out everybody on the roster."
The 49ers hope to have Garoppolo throwing and doing some non-contact work during organized team activities, which begin in late-May. The quarterback is expected to be completely healthy by the start of the 2019 season.
Kittle shared earlier on Thursday what it is like catching passes from Garoppolo.
"I don't know if he's doing OTAs yet, but I'm just looking forward to being able to catch the ball from him because, I don't know if you guys know this, he throws a really pretty pass,"
Kittle said on KNBR. "It's one of those balls that you pluck it out of the air. You don't have to go up. It's just natural to catch."
According to Sports Illustrated contributor Noah Strackbein, who writes for "All Steelers" on the network, there's a level of confidence within the Pittsburgh Steelers organization that they can strike a deal for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk—and at a bargain rate.
"According to a team source, the Steelers and 49ers trade talks are real," Strackbein wrote. "While nothing is imminent, they 'would be surprised if it didn't happen.' But it all comes down to compensation, and Pittsburgh isn't willing to budge much on price."
While it seems unlikely that the 49ers would part ways with Aiyuk for anything less than a first-round draft
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
