49ers’ George Kittle won’t change playing style to protect contract: ‘I could give two s—’

Abraham Smith

George Kittle received the NFL’s highest-paying tight end contract thanks not only to his receptivity but also to the physicality with which he plays. He’s a fierce blocker and a tough hitter who can shake up opposing defenders.

He plans to continue doing so, even if it forces him to restructure his contract.

Kittle was recently asked by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Mike Silver if he was concerned that injuries could eventually force him to take a pay cut from the 49ers or be fired. Kittle revealed he doesn’t mind the possibility.

I don’t really deal with that at all. I could give two s-, honestly. If there’s a day when they feel like this, it is what it is and it’s a business.

Kittle is currently in the second year of a five-year, $75 million contract extension he signed with the 49ers in 2020. He’s played well for the 49ers since signing the contract, but he’s missed 11 of 33 regular-season games as a result of nagging injuries.

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These injuries are nothing new for Kittle. He has only played a full season once in his five-year career and has missed an average of 3.5 games per season in his four other campaigns.

Kittle believes those injuries are just part of the game, but he also acknowledged there are times when he needs to be smart about the contact he makes.

“Football is a violent sport,” he said. “I think there are some instances where you can protect yourself – like, hey, there’s two guys running towards you and there’s zero meters available then you can safely go down or you can go out of bounds.

But if I have a one-on-one opportunity, I’ll drop my shoulder and try to run someone over. … It is what it is: I’ll still rumble, rumble and trip, baby.

As Kittle gets older, the dents from that rumble and lurch could add up. Nevertheless, the 28-year-old wants to maintain his uncompromising, physical style of play. He explained to Silver why.

I know there is a right way and a wrong way to play football and I will play it how I see fit. You will never be able to question my intention or my efforts for the bond. Whoever wants to do that and give me money, I think someone will want to do that.

Kittle is hoping the 49ers will be the ones looking to keep him long-term. He said he “loves everything about this organization” and is particularly a fan of his teammates.

“I think they’ve built a fantastic team of guys with great personality,” said Kittle.

One thing I learned is that you don’t really want dimwits on your team and we didn’t have a lot of dimwits or they got rid of dimwits pretty quickly and I really appreciated that.

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It doesn’t sound like Kittle is going anywhere anytime soon. So unless the 49ers have a change of heart about the big deal they gave Kittle — or if a serious injury turns up for the tight end — he should stay in San Francisco long-term.

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