George Kittle recently spoke with ESPN during the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, where he joined other NFL stars for the golfing event. Of course, the conversation shifted toward football, with Laura Rutledge asking Kittle to reflect on the team's 2023 season, its Super Bowl defeat, and the motivation it provides for the upcoming season.
The tight end believes San Francisco maintained a competitive roster this offseason and is gearing up for another run at a championship. He emphasized the importance of maintaining good health and continual improvement for a successful upcoming season.
"Brock Purdy is a fantastic quarterback, and he's only going to get better because he's young," Kittle said. "And we were fortunate enough to be able to keep our entire offense so far, which is really beneficial when your whole O-line stays together. Everyone just gets used to playing next to each other. So we're just hoping that our offense can take another step forward.
"And then, defensive side of the ball, when you have [DE] Nick Bosa, [LB] Fred Warner, [DT Javon] Hargrave, [CB] Charvarius Ward, yeah, we have a pretty good defense over there, too. So hopefully, we just keep playing at a high level and we'll win some more games."
"Everybody's kind of looking up at the Niners right now in the NFC. So, if we're gonna go anywhere we've got to get through [George Kittle.]" 😅
—Kirk Cousins and George Kittle join @LauraRutledge at #TheMasters. pic.twitter.com/bApunfctLQ
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 11, 2024
Sitting next to Kittle was new Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, who acknowledged the formidable challenge posed by the 49ers in the NFC. The two teams won't face each other during the regular season, but Cousins is hopeful he can lead the Falcons into the playoffs.
Cousins noted, "But everybody's kind of looking up at the Niners right now in the NFC, so if we're going to go anywhere, we got to get through this guy (Kittle) and his group."