George Kittle feels 'beyond blessed' to remain with 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers kicked off a wave of offseason contract extensions by once again making George Kittle the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. Deals for quarterback Brock Purdy and linebacker Fred Warner followed that.

Kittle, a fan favorite, inked a four-year, $76.4 million deal, keeping him with the team through the 2029 season. He has been a fixture in San Francisco since being selected out of Iowa in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

The 49ers began organized team activities (OTAs) this week, and Kittle spoke to reporters on Thursday about what his new deal means to him.

"It's awesome," Kittle said after practice. "This is the place that drafted me. I love being here. I love this franchise. I love the people that are involved with it."

Kittle reflected on his unique journey, noting that he's likely in the minority of players who have only played for two head coaches across both college and the NFL. He was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan's first draft class with the 49ers.

"So just to have that structure is awesome," Kittle said, adding that staying in the same offensive system throughout his NFL career has been a significant benefit.

The 49ers organization has become a second home to Kittle—and like him, fans hope he finishes his career in red and gold.

"Just being in this building, and just all the people that have been in it, from the equipment staff to the cooks, it's just like there's so many good people in this building," Kittle shared. "And just being able to be here, and kind of become me, and grow up, has been really awesome.

"So to be able to finish out my—let's not say finish—let's just say continue my career here for several more years, I'm very excited about it, and I'm beyond happy, and beyond blessed."