San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle had a breakout season last year. He set an NFL single-season record for the most receiving yards by a tight end and embarrassed defenders with his league-leading 873 receiving yards after the catch, per Pro Football Focus.
Kittle won't be taking anyone by surprise this year. NFL defensive coordinators will make stopping or slowing him down a focus of their game plans.
Kittle welcomes the challenge and on Tuesday morning shared on 95.7 The Game that he hopes defenses pay more attention to him.
"I hope they do," Kittle said on the "Joe, Lo and Dibs" show. "It gives me more challenges, things to look at, and that's fun. I like challenges, and I think with the team we're getting together, we have the right guys on the team.
"If they focus more on me, Marquise (Goodwin) can run down the middle of the field, running a 4.15. Hey, he can get all the yards for all I care. As long as we start winning games, I'm happy."
Half of Kittle's impressive 2018 campaign came as the tight end dealt with a rib injury. He ended up starting all 16 games last season, and said those ribs now feel "fantastic."
"I'm blessed," Kittle continued. "I get to play football in the NFL. I get paid to do it, so I just take advantage of every single day, whether it's ups or downs, losing games, or if you're hurt, I stay as positive as I can because, like I said, I get paid to play football, which is a dream of mine."
The 49ers kicked off phase one of their offseason program last week, which involves a lot of strength and conditioning work. Kittle and his teammates, however, are looking forward to getting back on the football field and producing some wins.
"One of the things that I've really noticed being back is guys really want to be here," Kittle said. "Everyone is 100 percent committed to being here, working out, getting better these first two weeks, excited. You've got a good atmosphere in the locker room.
"And you've got a lot of guys itching to play football. We haven't touched the field since December, and there were teams playing in February. We have missed football, and you kind of feel that around the locker room, and you've just got guys wanting to get back on the field. I think that's a very healthy spot for a team, and we're looking forward to getting back on the field."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Kittle below.