George Kittle

George Kittle is an American Football Tight End for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League. The franchise drafted the TE as the 146th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft.

George Kittle attended the University of Iowa in college, where he earned a name for being very athletic and a very good run blocker. The TE had 737 receiving yards, 48 catches and scored 10 touchdowns and proved to be a vital cog in Hawkeyes’ offense.

George Kittle brought his killer instinct and work ethic into the 49ers’ offense and has been a key player in their dominance in the past few years. The 30-year-old TE has made the Pro Bowl four times along with being named 2× Second-team All-Pro and First-team All-Pro in 2019.

In this page, we will dive deep into his career and his personal life.

George Kittle Early Life

George Kittle was born on 09 October 1993 in Madison, Wisconsin. After moving to Iowa at a very young age, Kittle kept moving across different highschools in Iowa and Oklahoma.

He attended three high schools - Iowa City West High School in Iowa City, Cedar Falls High School and Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma.

George Kittle was a two-way star athlete in high school, playing both football and basketball. The TE followed the footsteps of his father and committed to the University of Iowa.

George Kittle College Career

George Kittle redshirted during his first year with Iowa in 2012. As a freshman, Kittle spent more time learning in a crowded Iowa TE crowd, behind senior C. J. Fiedorowicz, junior Ray Hamilton, and sophomore Jake Duzey before he made a name for himself. In the 2019 season, Kittle had 5 catches and 109 receiving yards.

George Kittle’s time and role expanded in his junior season. The former Iowa TE scored his first TD of his college football career against North Texas on a 43-yard reception. Scoring six TDs in the 2015 season, Kittle ranked 6th in the Big Ten Conference. He had 290 receiving yards, 20 catches and 6 TDs in 10 games.

Kittle led the Iowa’s offense in his senior year. His most memorable game came against North Dakota State where the TE recorded 100 receiving yards in 5 catches. George Kittle finished his senior season with 314 receiving yards and 4 TDs. During his stint with the Hawkeyes, the TE had a total of 48 receptions, 737 receiving yards and 10 TDs.

He declared for the 2017 NFL draft.

George Kittle NFL Career

George Kittle impressed the scouts during the NFL combine with his speed and athleticism. The San Francisco 49ers drafted the TE in the fifth round as the 146th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft.

Kittle has to compete with five more TE’s in the 49ers’ training camp to earn the starter role. Before the season began. HC Kyle Shanahan named him as the starter. Kittle made his NFL debut against the Carolina Panthers in the season opener. The TE had 27 receiving yards and 5 receptions. He finished the season with 43 receptions, 515 yards and 2 TDs.

The 2018 season was very memorable for George Kittle. The 49ers TE had his first 1000-yard season. He made his first Pro Bowl selection and was named as 29th best player by his fellow athletes in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019. Kittle had 88 receptions, 1377 receiving yards and scored 5 TDs.

The 49ers tight end continued his stellar form into the 2019 season as well, recording consecutive 1000-yards seasons. Kittle played a crucial role in the 49ers' run till Super Bowl LIV, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. George Kittle had 85 receptions, 1,053 receiving yards and scored 5 TDs.

Ahead of the 2020 NFL season, George Kittle signed a massive 5-year $75 million contract with the 49ers, making him the highest paid tight end in the National Football League. In the next three seasons, (2020-2022) Kittle was one of the dominant forces in the offense. He combined for a total of 2309 receiving yards, 179 receptions and scored 19 touchdowns in this period.

George Kittle Family Background

George Kittle’s athleticism comes from his family. The 49ers TE hails from a family of athletes. His father Bruce Kittle was also a football player and a coach. Bruce played as an offensive lineman for the University of Iowa. He was also the co-captain of the Hawkeyes football team that played in the Rose Bowl in 1982.

Bruce Kittle then coached the University of Oklahoma as the tight ends/tackles coach. He also coached the University of Iowa football team.

George Kittle’s mother Jan Krieger was a standout athlete herself at the Winfield-Mount Union. An All-American, Jan Krieger, played basketball and softball at Drake University.

George Kittle’s sister Emma Kittle was a D1 athlete. She played volleyball at Iowa. She also played basketball at West High School. She won the Press-Citizen’s 2009 Female High School Athlete of the Year. Emma finished her volleyball career at the University of Oklahoma.

She pursued law and qualified for Law school by passing the Law School Admission Test. But things took a different path. Emma Kittle now teaches yoga. She currently runs the Thunderbird Performance with her father.

George Kittle has credited Emma for introducing him to yoga and helping him with mobility and recovery from injuries.

George Kittle Wife

George Kittle is married to Claire Kittle. The duo met during George’s freshman year at Iowa. The first interaction between the two was when the TE commented on Claire’s pink moped helmet.

George was in the “friend zone” for the next eight months before the two started dating. Claire was also an athlete. She played basketball at Wahlert Catholic High School. She became the third all-time leading scorer for the school and was a McDonald's All-American nominee. She played basketball at Iowa as well, before a knee injury put a full stop on her career as a senior.

The two eloped and got married in April 2019 in an intimate ceremony with the immediate family members. The two planned to host a larger party for their friends in 2020 but had to hold it due to Covid. In 2021, the couple got married again.

Claire used to run her personal training business, Claire Till Fitness, where she taught barre classes. She also participated in a bikini fitness competition in 2018, where she lost 20 pounds after a 19-week training schedule.

The couple live in Nashville during the TE’s offseason.

George Kittle Kids

George and Claire Kittle do not have any kids. The duo announced their pregnancy in December 2022. However Claire had an ectopic pregnancy. She revealed this in an Instagram post. Claire had the surgery. She wrote a message to other women who’ve also had ectopic pregnancies, to be strong.

George Kittle Social Media

George Kittle has a social media presence of over 1.646,900 followers. The 49ers TE is very active on Instagram, where he has over 1.3 million followers. He shares game highlights, training pictures and pictures with his wife Claire. On Twitter, George has over 346,900 followers. He’s constantly sharing his support to the 49ers and cheering for his teammates with reposts and shout-outs.

George Kittle Net Worth

George Kittle’s net worth is estimated to be around $50 million. The 49ers TE signed a massive 5-year $75 million, making him the highest paid tight end in the NFL. The TE also endorses various brands and has partnerships with many of them.

George Kittle Brand Deals and Endorsements

George Kittle is a household name. The 49ers TE has a large social media presence and is a rockstar in the field. Here are some of the brands endorsed by the 49ers TE according to OSDB:

• Nike

• Gatorade

• Bud Light

• Chubbies

• Little Caesars

• Adobe

• Panda Express

• Pennington Lawn

• Technogym

• Spider-Man: No Way Home (Movie)

• Purina Pro Plan

• Visa

• Xbox

• Venom (Movie)

• Exmark Manufacturing

• Levi's

• Zenni

• Bose

• Sleep Number

• Resid3ncy

George Kittle Achievements

George Kittle has been a key piece in the 49ers' offense since getting drafted in the 2017 NFL draft. Here are some of his achievements:

• First-team All-Pro (2019)

• 2× Second-team All-Pro (2018, 2022)

• 4× Pro Bowl (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)

George Kittle Contract

Before the start of the 2020 NFL season, George Kittle and the 49ers agreed on a 5-year $75 million contract extension, making him the highest paid TE in the league. The 30-year-old TE will earn an average annual salary of $15,000,000. The contract has $18,000,000 in signing bonuses and $40,000,000 in guarantees. Here is further breakdown of the contract:

George Kittle Diet

George Kittle plays the Tight End position which is one of the multidimensional roles in the offense. It requires physical presence. George Kittle wasn’t very physically built when he was young. His diet included good calories, peanut butter and jelly, and milk before hitting the bed, as advised by his father, to put on weight.

George Kittle grew up eating vegetarian food as well as meat. He used to eat red meat against the advice of his father when he was younger but now that has stopped.

George Kittle has experimented with vegan meals and is not a big fan of it. He prefers meat, which his chef purchases from a farm or farmer’s market. Chicken and steak is his go to preference.

George Kittle loves Iowa’s sweet corn. His favorite meal is peanut butter and jelly. And his favorite cheat meal includes Eggo Waffles with a glass of oatmilk.

George Kittle House

George Kittle spends his autumn, during the season in the Bay Area. However, the 49ers TE calls Nashville his home. George and Claire Kittle live in Nashville during the 49ers TE’s offseason. The house features a golf course in the backyard. The TE built it after watching the Masters. The TE also owns a 75 acre workout facility. He calls it “The Barn.” The house also features a football field in the backyard where he trains along with his friends during the offseason.

George Kittle Car

George Kittle drives a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 and Toyota 4Runner. The 49ers TE showed off his Mustang in one of his Instagram videos. Producing a HP of 480, the Mustang can go from 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds. It features a 5.0-liter V8 engine and has a six-speed manual gearbox. The Toyota 4Runner is an old school truck with a HP of 270 and 4.0-Liter V6 engine.