Rams' Rival George Kittle Talks NFL Future, Retirement

Kittle is currently participating in his Tight End University, an annual event where tight ends from across the country come together to practice and participate in classes that help improve players' craft.

Kittle recently appeared on Bussin' With the Boys, where he spoke about his NFL future with league veterans Taylor Lewan and Will Compton.

“Literally until I don’t have fun anymore," Kittle said. "or until [my wife] Claire looks at me and goes 'you kinda look like ****out there, you should retire'. I don’t know, I think if I get to 35 and it hurts to put pants on in the morning, I think I’ll be like 'this ain’t too much fun anymore.'”

Kittle turns 32 years old this October, continuing to play at an elite level, earning his fifth All-Pro selection in 2024.

In 2024, Kittle recorded his fourth overall and second straight 1,000-yard season while remaining a critical piece of the 49ers' blocking scheme.

"He was particularly spectacular during the 2024 campaign while catching a career-high 83% of his targets," wrote NFL.com's Bobby Kownack after Kittle received an extension. "Kittle's 78 receptions marked his most since 2019, while his 1,106 receiving yards topped all seasons outside of 2018. He also collected eight touchdowns, the second-most of his career."

"Key to every aspect of the 49ers offense, Kittle was far and away PFF's best-ranked tight end last season. His overall grade of 92.1 fittingly bested McBride's second-place 86.8 grade by a healthy 5.3 points. PFF also graded him as the position group's top receiver (92.4) and second-best run blocker (70.8)."

Kittle signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract extension that includes $40 million guaranteed this offseason as the franchise continues to lock up its pillars with Fred Warner and Brock Purdy signing extensions of their own.

Kittle has been the tight end king of the NFC West for some time, but with Arizona's Trey McBride on his tail and both the Rams and the Seahawks adding their own tight end talents in Terrance Ferguson and Elijah Arroyo, we could see the NFC West sporting four All-Pro tight ends in the near future.