For years now, the San Francisco 49ers have been well-known for rolling out one of the more creative offenses in all of the NFL. For one, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has provided multiple players with the freedom to take on multiple responsibilities on the field.
Among them, George Kittle has emerged as one of the do-it-all players on the 49ers offense. The sixth-year tight end has managed to add another dimension to San Francisco’s high-octane offense through the air. He is just coming off of a potent 2022 season in which he hauled in 60 receptions for 765 receiving yards and a career-high 11 touchdown catches. He also posted a 12.8 yards per catch average in regular season play.
Overall, Kittle has enjoyed every second of his time in Shanahan’s innovative offense.
“I mean, it's really fun,” Kittle said during a recent appearance on ESPN 1000’s “Waddle & Silvy” show. “First off, the great thing about tight end [in Shanahan’s offense] is that you get to do everything. I get a run block. I get a pass pro. I get to run routes for touchdowns. I get to run the ball in reverses and stuff like that; jet sweeps.
“So just his creativity and the way he attacks defenses, it's like, different every single week. And it's really fun to be a part of something that kind of changes week to week, and you're not just running your head into a wall, running the same plays over and over and over. … It's just fun to be a part of that stuff because if you can do everything in his offense, then the pass game just opens up. If you dominate in the run game, the pass game opens up.”
Kittle also lauded Shanahan for his ability to get the best out of the team's versatile talents on this side of the ball.
“There's just so much to this offense,” Kittle said. “It's just really fun to be a part of it and see how it's evolved over the course of my career. … Like, one time Brandon Aiyuk is going to fake down block, and the next play he might actually down block, and I'm out and around. And the more you can do that to defenses, it's really fun to be a part of.”
For now, the 49ers sure have their sights set on their upcoming OTAs. Day 1 of San Francisco’s OTAs schedule is set for May 22.