San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has been nominated for the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Player of the Week award following his standout performance against the Dallas Cowboys.
Kittle recorded six receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown, contributing significantly to the 49ers' 30-24 victory in the Week 8 matchup. His 128 receiving yards push him to 503 on the season, marking his eighth consecutive year with 500 or more receiving yards.
"He did a great job just doing his job, creating some separation," quarterback Brock Purdy said of Kittle after the game. "You get the ball in their hands, five, six yards and they make one guy miss it could be a big gain. And that's what he does really great. So definitely blessed to have George on my team."
Kittle's 500 career receptions are the fifth-most by any player in 49ers franchise history, and his 6,777 career receiving yards rank third. Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice leads both categories with 1,281 receptions and 19,247 receiving yards.
"It's an honor," Kittle said of his achievements. "I'm thankful that I get to be a part of an organization with a very high standard of how they play football. I'm thankful that they've kept me around for a long time and every single day striving to be better than I was the day before and continually prove that I need to be on the San Francisco 49ers roster.
"To be on a list with any of those names—any list that you're on with Jerry Rice is a good thing. To be with all those other guys is fantastic. It's an honor, and I learned in college that you want to leave your jersey in a better place. That's all I'm striving to do every single day, and I know all those guys did that."
The other nominees for the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week awards are Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook, and Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
FedEx allows fans to recognize the best performances from skill-position players each week by voting at nfl.com/voting/air-and-ground. Notably, there are no longer positional restrictions for the FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week Awards. Regardless of position, the two players with the most votes will be named FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week when voting closes at 12:00 p.m. PT on Wednesday.
FedEx will designate weekly donations of $2,000 in the names of the two winning players ($4,000 total) to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) throughout the season, providing need-based scholarships to deserving HBCU students.
