There is no rivalry between San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The two share a mutual respect for one another. Kittle congratulated Kelce when the Chiefs All-Pro broke his record this past season for the most single-season receiving yards by a tight end. It also provided Kittle something else to chase.
Before this season, few would have ranked Kittle behind anyone when it comes to identifying the game's best all-around tight end. Kelce's record-breaking 2020 campaign has altered the conversation a bit and swayed some of the votes his way.
With Kelce and the Chiefs preparing to chase their second consecutive championship, Kittle was asked about his Kansas City counterpart.
"Travis Kelce is having an incredible year," Kittle said Tuesday on Good Morning Football. "He's a hell of a tight end. Yeah, he broke the record. He's playing football at an incredibly high level right now, and I'm incredibly happy for him because whenever tight ends play at a high level, it's better for all the other tight ends in the league."
Kelce caught 105 passes for an impressive 1,416 yards receiving yards and 11 touchdowns this past season, breaking Kittle's record from two seasons earlier. Injuries limited the 49ers tight end to just eight games, and he hauled in 48 passes for 634 yards with two scores in 2020.
"Does it tick me off? No, not at all," Kittle continued. "Availability is the best ability, and you've got to be on the field to make plays. You've got to be on the field for people to see what you can do. That's all I'm going to be doing this offseason, just doing whatever I can to try to stay on the field and just continuing to watch other tight ends across the league progress and get better. And it's just really fun to do that.
"Travis Kelce, like I said, is having a hell of a year, and I'm incredibly excited for him to be able to play in another Super Bowl."