George Kittle has been with the San Francisco 49ers for a decade now. He’s seen the good, the bad, and the contract negotiations. So when he sat down for an interview on NBC Sports’ “Unbuttoned” this week, he didn’t dodge the obvious question about teammate Brandon Aiyuk’s messy situation with the team.
Kittle didn’t throw anyone under the bus. But he also didn’t pretend everything is fine. He said the 49ers organization has handled the whole thing about as well as it could. Kyle Shanahan tried. John Lynch tried. Teammates tried. And yet here they are, with Aiyuk reportedly eyeing Washington as a potential landing spot and a standoff that’s dragged into late July.
“I feel like the Niners have done a very good job throughout the entire process and have tried,” Kittle said. “The organization itself has done a really good job. And like I said, like I know plenty of things, and I don’t ever want to single out a player. I don’t want everyone to point a finger at anybody. But I’ve been here for 10 years, and I’ve been treated with nothing but respect and love my entire career. I feel like I’ve done it the right way as long as I can.”
He also offered a little perspective on what contract talks actually feel like, drawing on advice he got years ago from Richard Sherman. “Contracts are like braces,” Kittle recalled. “They hurt and they suck the entire time. Then once you get your braces off and you get paid, you don’t even remember having them and it’s a great time. That’s kind of the mindset you have to have.”
Aiyuk and Kittle have been teammates since 2020. Injuries and off-field drama have kept them from playing together for the last two seasons, though. And with training camp just around the corner, the clock is ticking on a resolution.
What’s Next for Kittle and the 49ers
The 49ers are coming off a 12-5 season. They want to win the NFC West again and make a real playoff run. But they’ll have to do it with a massive travel schedule in 2026 — 38,105 miles total, the most of any team in the league. They open Week 1 in Australia against the Los Angeles Rams on September 10.
Kittle said he hopes the Aiyuk situation gets sorted soon. The season is about a month away. That’s not a lot of time for a team that needs its best players on the same page. The organization has not confirmed any trade discussions, but reports keep pointing toward a potential exit.
For now, Kittle is doing what he’s always done — staying focused on football and letting the front office handle the rest. He’s been through enough contract drama himself to know that these things tend to work themselves out. One way or another.
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