Having too many mouths to feed is a problem any NFL quarterback would welcome. The San Francisco 49ers are fortunate to be among the few teams with abundant talent on both sides of the football.
On offense, the Niners have running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle, and wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk as targets for whoever ends up playing quarterback this season. That could be Brock Purdy, Trey Lance, or even Sam Darnold. It depends on Purdy's recovery from offseason surgery and the battle for the QB2 spot.
More available weapons also require some egos to be checked at the door. Those who prioritize their own statistical success won't fit within the 49ers locker room.
"If I have one catch a game, I know my fantasy football coach would be really mad at me for that, but it is what it is," Kittle said via Briana McDonald of the team's official website. "As long as we're winning games and we're feeding the right guys the ball – I'm never going to get mad if Christian McCaffrey has 20 carries and 10 catches for 300 total yards, I'll never be upset about that because he's such a talented football player."
Last season, Kittle shattered his career-high six touchdowns with 11 trips into the end zone. He has failed to surpass 1,000 receiving yards over the past three seasons but understands there are more weapons around him.
San Francisco acquired McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers last season. Samuel had a breakout season in 2021, racking up 1,770 total yards and 14 total touchdowns. Aiyuk earned his first 1,000-plus-receiving-yard season in 2022, accompanied by eight touchdowns.
Kittle added, "It's really fun to be on a team that does have a problem of too many mouths to feed, because coach Shanahan does such a great job of scheming everybody into getting certain plays and it's just really fun to be a part of an offense that has so much talent on it."
The All-Pro tight end also contributes elsewhere. Kittle loves it when the offense runs the football just as much as he adores hauling in touchdown passes from his quarterback. He knows that run-blocking is another opportunity to make his presence known and punish opposing defenders.
"I just have the mindset that 'I'm going to love this and I'm going to be better than anyone else at it,' Kittle said. "Now, if I'm not getting the ball, I'm going to influence the game in the run game and I'm going to make the guy across from me, his life a living hell...
"You need me to pass-pro a guy who gets paid $100 million on third down? Bring it. I cannot wait. I can't wait for you to be on my highlight reel where I block you and lock you down because 'no tight end should block a defensive end' is what everybody always says. I take that personally because I can block anybody."
