San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is glad he is not the only player from his position that is being recognized and paid.
Talking to reporters at training camp, the fourth-year star is glad tight ends are getting more recognition.
“I think overall tight ends are occasionally forgot about or not advertised enough,” George Kittle told 49ers reporters on Saturday, via Bleacher Report. “And I think the fact that guys are exploding through the ceiling that was set with me, Travis Kelce got a fantastic new deal, I know [Zach] Ertz is about to get one and the guys that are just blowing through that, it's fun to see and I think tight ends will just continue to prove that we're worth a lot to the team.”
This has certainly been a great year for tight ends, with Kittle getting a new five-year, $75 million deal and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce getting four years worth $57.25 million.
The tight end position has been expanding and improving over the past decade, as guys like Rob Gronkowski and Jason Witten changing the way tight ends play. Even before then, players like Jeremy Shockey and Tony Gonzalez changed how coaches and general managers looked at the position.
No longer are tight ends primarily blockers. Instead, they are essentially another receiver on the field, just with a bigger frame for quarterbacks to pass to. With this evolution, look for more tight ends to be making the big bucks like Kittle with the 49ers and showing why they should never be overlooked.
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