George Kittle
49ers’ star has new house, new deals, same positive energy
George Kittle embodies the 49ers’ ideals, the NFL’s high-energy, the tight end position’s all-around potential and, as many companies are learning, the power of a positive-speaking pitchman.
All of which made Kittle a natural choice for the following question-and-answer session.
He and his wife, Claire, have settled into a new home outside of Nashville, complete with a three-story barn that’s morphed into a state-of-the-art workout facility. That’s for the offseason. He’s rented a new townhome near the 49ers’ facility, ditching an apartment where his upstairs neighbor, Nick Bosa, wasn’t the quietest fellow.
“I could hear his footsteps every time he woke up every single day of the year,” Kittle said. “Quadzilla, with the loudest footsteps. I moved out because of Nick’s footsteps. I thought he was going to bring the whole building down.
Here is more from Kittle, the homegrown All-Pro and team captain, speaking recently with 49ers beat reporter Cam Inman:
Q Let’s start by asking, what was the highlight of your summer?
A I’m really excited about what’s happened on my (Tennessee) property. My wife and I purchased the property back in October, in the middle of the season. She and my family have been putting it together. Being able to have an entire, functioning NFL facility — from recovery to tubs to chef to massage therapist and physical therapist — it’s been really fun for me. It’s been a dream of mine to have the last couple of years and it’s all finally come to fruition. To train daily with eight to 12 NFL athletes, most of them tight ends, it’s been really fun for me.
Q So about your new house (20 minutes south of downtown Nashville), did you build it and the workout barn from the ground up?
A I got really lucky. The people we bought the house from built it in 2017, lived there for a year or two and then moved to Colorado. It’s completely brand new. The only thing we remodeled was the kitchen and living room area. Then the barn, we gutted that. It’s been there for 20 years. It’s a three-story barn. We gutted it and poured cement where the horse stalls were. My dad, my father-in-law and I laid all the black mats for the (weight) lifting stuff. It was a family project and has been really fun.
Q You’ve become a master pitchman, whether it’s Bud Light, Gatorade, lawn mowers. How many endorsements did you do this offseason?
A I think six. We did Exmark, Gatorade, and I just did an Adobe shoot, which was fun. The Tight End University stuff exploded and I did a couple plugs there. Charmin, Levi’s and Bud Light were incredibly helpful with the Tight End U stuff.
Q Ah yes, the endorsements, you’re obviously good at them with your energy. Do you see yourself becoming the biggest NFL pitchman that’s not a quarterback?
A I’d rather be doing football stuff, but I enjoy doing it. It is fun to work with different products and companies, as long as I’m working with products I use in my day-to-day life. I’ve turned down a couple things not really for me. I’m not a soda or energy drink guy. I’m authentic to myself and don’t want to be spread thin.
Q How do you see yourself and the NFL changing in 10 years?
A Ten years? If we’re being honest, Cam, money is a big factor in the NFL. People want to make money and fantasy football is a big factor in the NFL, because that’s how a lot of fans stay interacted. So it’s going to continue to protect offensive players and allow teams to put up 40 to 50 points a game, so their fantasy football players are putting up 25 to 30 points a game for them. That’s the direction we’re heading. I don’t know all the changes that will come with that.
But I hope it doesn’t change too much because I do think it’s really hard to play defense. It’s really hard to play safety. I know it’s really hard to be a 350-pound defensive tackle and try not to land on the quarterback, even though you’ve been doing it since you were 5 years old. So I get that they’re trying to protect the game, but as long as football stays football, it is, at the end of the day, a very violent sport. Whether it’s a kids’ game or not, there is a lot of violence in there, so I just hope they keep it violent, because that’s kind of my style of play.
Q This year, you won’t have C.J. Beathard (now on Jacksonville Jaguars) or Trent Taylor (now on Cincinnati Bengals) in your locker room. Your old buddy Garrett Celek retired last year. How weird will this be?
A Cam, you’re pulling on my heartstrings, man. That’s crazy, dog . ... I’m getting used to it. I like the quarterbacks we have in the room. I’m super lucky to have guys like Mike McGlinchey, (and) we’ve become really good friends. Ross Dwelley, one of my best friends on the team. Nick Bosa, just happy to have him back.
Jimmy G is still my guy. He’s working on his texting ability. He’s still pretty bad at it but we’re working on it. We still have a great group of corps guys. Fred Warner, even though we butt heads on the field every day, we can talk about anything. He’s a guy I always enjoy talking with.
Q You’ve been in the Bay Area four-plus years. What are your go-to spots?
A Oh wow, I’m not going to lie, Mikayla’s Cafe, about a block from the stadium, is one of my favorite places to eat. It’s a little diner and I get a grilled chicken deluxe sandwich and the French toast. I found a place in Pleasanton, an Italian place, Locanda Amalfi. My wife and I went there and they have this lobster ravioli. I put down two plates. That stuff was so delicious and I need to go back.