Niners Nation
Today, we talk about how 49ers’ TE George Kittle can take pressure off the WR room
While the San Francisco 49ers are sputtering at wide receiver, they have the ultimate insurance policy at the tight end position to help support the receivers.
That insurance policy would be the best tight end in the league in George Kittle. But how much can Kittle himself make up for the lack of depth at receiver? That’s just where we will start with our three questions for the 49ers' tight end as we head into the 2025 season:
What does the state of the wide receiver corps mean for George Kittle?
The last time we spoke, we examined the lack of depth at receiver for the 49ers. One massive piece was missing from that, with the 49ers’ best pass-catcher being listed as a tight end, not a wide receiver.
With Brandon Aiyuk injured and Deebo Samuel’s poor form, George Kittle had his best season since his 2018 record-breaking campaign. In 2024, Kittle had his most targets since 2021 (94), his most receptions since 2019 (78), his most yards since 2018 (1,106), and his most touchdowns since 2022 (8), all while setting a career-high with 11.8 yards per target.
Now, the 49ers are without Samuel for good and without Aiyuk for the time being, which should mean Kittle should see an uptick in targets at minimum. In Kyle Shanahan’s tenure as the 49ers' head coach, only seven receivers have seen at least 100 targets in a season (in comparison, the Rams have had 11 receivers with at least 100 targets in the same timeframe with Sean McVay), with Kittle on the list twice, with 107 in 2019 and 138 in 2018.
It’s easier to type out than to execute, but there should be no reason Kittle doesn’t eclipse the 100 target mark in 2025, with a case to be made that he should be closer to his 2018 number than his 2019 number. Kittle is such an electrifying player that he should be treated as the No. 1 target on the 49ers in 2025.
But will that be enough to lift a passing game with a sudden lack of weapons? Possibly, but Kittle has a solid chance to surpass the 1,000-yard mark in three consecutive seasons for the first time in his career.
How high up the greatest tight end of all-time list can Kittle climb in 2025?
Kittle is currently considered the best tight end in the league, and with a solid 2025 season, he can climb the ranks of tight ends in league history. Let’s take a look at how far Kittle can ascend this season (and keep in mind Kittle has only played in 113 games):
The 49ers' tight end currently sits 15th among tight ends with 538 receptions. While Kittle will likely pass the ranks of Jeremy Shockey (547 in 136 games), Vernon Davis (583 in 198 games), and Heath Miller (592 in 168 games), Kittle trails Rob Gronkowski by 83...
