George Kittle isn’t spilling secrets, but he isn’t pretending everything is normal either.
Appearing on the “Chris Simms Unbuttoned” podcast, the San Francisco 49ers tight end addressed the messy, ongoing situation between the team and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Kittle suggested he knows far more than he’s willing to share publicly.
George Kittle Defends 49ers as Brandon Aiyuk Standoff Continues
“I feel like I know basically everything that’s happened and what’s gone on, and I can’t share all of that because it’s not my business to share or tell,” Kittle said.
Aiyuk’s situation has grown increasingly complicated over the past year. After signing a four-year, $120 million extension in August 2024, he has already earned $48.15 million from the deal.
But he hasn’t played a single minute since tearing his ACL, MCL, and meniscus in October 2024, and things have gone sideways since. San Francisco voided $27 million in guaranteed money for 2026, citing missed rehab requirements and meetings. Aiyuk has publicly taken shots at the 49ers on social media.
He’s since been placed on the reserve/left squad list, and has made his desire to land with the Commanders pretty obvious.
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Kittle, for his part, chose to defend the organization rather than pile on.
“I feel like the Niners have done a very good job throughout the entire process and have tried,” Kittle said. “Kyle has tried, John has tried. Teammates have tried. And this is where we are.”
He kept building on that point, praising the front office without pointing fingers at anyone specific, including Aiyuk.
“I think the organization itself has done a really good job,” Kittle said. “And like I said, I know plenty of things and I know everyone wants to single out a player. I don’t ever want to point a finger at anybody.”
Then he got personal, leaning on his own decade-long tenure with the team as proof that the 49ers treat their players right.
“I’ve been here for 10 years, and I’ve been treated with nothing but respect and love my entire career,” Kittle said. “I feel like I’ve done it the right way as long as I can.”
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Kittle, who ranked second-best in PFN’s Tight End Impact Ratings last season, also put the spotlight on the bigger picture. Contract negotiations, he said, are never easy, but they’re part of life in the NFL, and every player has to figure out how to handle the pressure that comes with them.
“Contract negotiations are also, those are always hard for everybody,” he said. “And you just try your best to not be sensitive about it.”
Kittle pointed to the wisdom he received from former teammate Richard Sherman during his first round of contract negotiations. The veteran cornerback compared the experience to wearing braces.
“Contracts are like braces,” Kittle recalled Sherman telling him. “They hurt, and they suck the entire time. And then once you get your braces off and you get paid, you don’t even remember having them, and it’s a great time.”
Kittle closed his thoughts with a pointed message about accountability, one that could easily be read as a subtle nod toward Aiyuk’s public frustration.
“If you get offended by something, you hold on to it, that’s kind of on you,” Kittle said, “because everybody goes through contract negotiations and they’re all difficult.”
Simms, clearly on the same page, agreed without hesitation. “The 49ers have handled things just quite fine in my eyes, that’s for sure,” he said. Kittle backed him up simply: “I believe so.”
