George Kittle has been making the media rounds today to promote this month's Tight End University. The San Francisco 49ers tight end has appeared on Good Morning Football, Sports Illustrated, and the Jim Rome show.
As expected, Kittle has repeatedly been asked about the Niners' quarterback situation. It's the biggest 49ers-related offseason storyline, and media members won't allow an interaction with the All-Pro player go by without asking about it.
Kittle's responses have been similar, with the tight end praising each of his quarterbacks—Brock Purdy, Trey Lance, and Sam Darnold. Purdy is the frontrunner to remain the 49ers' starter, with Kittle calling it Purdy's "job to lose," assuming he is healthy. Purdy is recovering from surgery to repair his right elbow's torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL).
That doesn't mean Kittle hasn't loved what he's seen from third-year quarterback Lance, who returned from an ankle injury this offseason. Earlier, the tight end stated that he believes Lance is a starting-caliber quarterback. It's just that Purdy showed a lot at the end of last season, earning his stop atop the depth chart.
Rome asked Kittle how different Lance looks this offseason compared to last year, before the injury.
"I think Trey looks a lot different," Kittle responded. "I think his confidence in himself, he has this calmness to him in the huddle, he looks like he's having fun again, and he's healthy. So those are three things that are good for the Niners.
"I'm really excited, too. This OTAs practice, the last day of minicamp, me and Trey connected on a 60-yard touchdown down the sideline, a little box fade around the linebacker, threw it away from the safety, perfectly in the bread basket. I was able to catch it in stride for a touchdown. And that was a route that, training camp last year, we kind of struggled to connect with.
"And so you could see he's progressed since last season. That's all I'm asking for. I was asked the same question last year, 'Hey, how's Trey Lance look?' And my answer is always, 'He just needs reps.' That's all it is. He's got a high ceiling, and the more reps he gets, the better he's going to be.
"And so it's exciting to see that he has taken steps forward. He's progressed, and I think that's just good news for the Niners."
Another year in, Lance has more confidence. That's important for a quarterback when the players in the huddle are looking to you to lead.
"It's a total game changer," Kittle said. "When you have a quarterback step into the huddle—because he's the only guy that talks in the huddle—and he comes in there with an assertive confidence, you can feel that energy coming off of him. And when you're in a huddle with a quarterback that's confident, it makes you more confident. Like, 'Oh, he's going to throw me the best ball, and I'm going to catch that. I'm going to score a touchdown.'
"And it's just you can hear this energy come out off their voice. And when it's positive, and it has this confidence to it, it just elevates the whole huddle, and it elevates the whole team."
Kittle is hoping for better fortune in 2023. Last season, the 49ers made it far, appearing in the NFC Championship Game for the third time in four years. However, they went through four quarterbacks along the way and didn't have a healthy one in that loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
"That is what it is, and that's kind of life sometimes," Kittle shared. "It just kind of kicks you when you're down and then kicks you again just to make sure you stay down. But hey, with the San Francisco 49ers. We're going to get right back up. We have a talented roster, and we're going to be ready to go this year, and I know teams aren't going to really want to play us sometimes."
You can listen to the entire interview with Kittle below.
