What could beat that, right?
Well, as far as NFL tight ends go, they don't get much better than former New England Patriot, Rob Gronkowski, now with Fox Sports as an analyst. Kittle loves to watch NFL tight ends and roots for them all — as long as they aren't this week's opponent, that is — and Gronkowski is one of his all-time favorites.
The former Patriots tight end praised Kittle before Thursday night's game between his former team and the New York Giants. Our friend, Dylan DeSimone of Fourth and Nine, caught the video.
"George Kittle, he reminds me of myself a little bit," Gronkowski said. "He had that breakout year last year, which I'm pretty sure was his second year in the league too, just like I did, had a breakout year in my second year in the league.
"And I met him this year. And when I met him, he had that energy. He brought that energy to the table. You can see he loves lifting weights. He loves being strong. And whenever he gets the ball, he just wants to go all the way to the end zone. That's what I love about him.
"He's a special talent, and he's a big asset for the San Francisco 49ers."
Last year, Kittle broke the NFL's all-time single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end with his 1,377 yards. The record had previously been held by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce for about ... well ... 45 minutes, maybe? Before that, Gronkowski was the record holder since 2011.
Kittle is in his third NFL season and has recorded 23 receptions for 235 yards with a touchdown through four games this year.
Related News
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers Notebook: Veterans praise rookie performance in 2025; Shanahan speaks on Renardo Green scolding; Trent Williams, others reflect on 2025
The mood could have been worse among San Francisco 49ers players Saturday night following their 41-6 season-ending drubbing at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks. But it wasn't, due in part to the reflections that were made on what the team accomplished in 2025 and what lies... -
49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak removes himself from consideration for head coaching vacancies
The San Francisco 49ers have already lost one of their coordinators to a head coaching position when Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh left for the Tennessee Titans. Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak was also in the running for head coaching jobs, but according to Senior NFL... -
49ers injury updates: Nick Bosa's timeline, Alfred Collins surgery, George Kittle optimism
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch met with reporters on Wednesday, during the team's annual end-of-season press conference. It was the first opportunity for the 49ers to share injury updates following last weekend's playoff loss to the... -
49ers add potential George Kittle successor in Daniel Jeremiah's mock draft
George Kittle's timeline for returning in the 2026 NFL season remains uncertain, and it's unclear whether he'll be able to perform at his usual All-Pro level once he does. The San Francisco 49ers tight end suffered a torn Achilles during the team's Wild Card playoff loss to the...