49ers’ George Kittle: “I’m just going to keep going until the wheels fall off”

George Kittle has been a star at the tight end position since he came into the NFL. As a 5th-round pick for the San Francisco 49ers, the former Iowa player was known to be a good blocker, but it wasn't known how dynamic he could be as a pass catcher. Even as a senior in college, Kittle only had 22 catches for 314 yards.

As a rookie in San Francisco, Kittle caught 43 passes for 515 yards. That wasn't too bad, but in year two, Kittle exploded onto the scene, more than doubling his rookie stats with 88 catches and 1377 yards. Other than an injury-plagued 2020, Kittle has continued to produce. He has a career total of 460 catches for 6274 yards and 37 touchdowns.

But in light of some of the contract disputes the 49ers are dealing with, there are questions about whether or not the All-Pro tight end could be next in line when it comes to being asked to take a pay cut. In the offseason, the 49ers asked DL Arik Armstead to take a significant pay cut. He declined to do so and is now playing in Jacksonville. The team also asked FB Kyle Juszczyk to take a pay cut. He didn't appreciate being asked to do it, but he did it to stay with the team. Could Kittle be next?

"It's not really an issue for me," Kittle told Tim Kawakami, of The Athletic. "There's nothing I can do about that except to go out there at every single practice and every single game, show them why they need to keep me around. That's the only thing I can control. Stay healthy, make a bunch of plays, play at a high level, be a good person and win football games. And if I can just do that, I feel like I'm going to be a Niner for a really long time.

"And if I think about hey, they've done this before, you're at the end of your contract, you're 30… I don't really feel 30. … I think I'm having a pretty good training camp. My body feels pretty good. And I'm just gonna continue to play the way that I've been playing my entire career. That's been at a pretty high level."

Kittle has dealt with nagging injuries throughout his career. He plays a very physical position, and he plays with a style that makes it even more physical. Kittle isn't the type to run out of bounds, preferring instead, to take defensive players head-on. But he's learning to play smarter, and he's always in excellent shape. He should be able to play at a high level for a little longer. But is he feeling like he's getting toward the end of his career, from a physical standpoint?

"I'm very aware that I'm not 23 years old anymore," Kittle added. "But I honestly haven't been able to tell the difference between 27 and 30. I'm just going to keep going until the wheels fall off. And I feel like the way that I take care of my body, the wheels aren't going to fall off for a while, knock on wood."

49ers fans undoubtedly love hearing this. Kittle is one of the brightest stars in a locker room filled with them. And in some ways, he is the heart of the team.

• Marc Adams
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