The Rush: 49ers’ George Kittle on the most underpaid players in the NFL
George Kittle joins The Rush to tell us why he loves Kyle Shanahan’s dark comedy, the most underpaid players in the league, how the NFL’s new number change rule could get dicey and why blocking is his favorite thing on planet earth.
Video Transcript
GEORGE KITTLE: I think people don't value the tight end position as much as they should because you're an extra lineman, and you're an extra wide receiver. You get asked you all these different things. Yet we're going to pay you the least amount of money comparatively to the positions that you're going against, and I think that's completely absurd.
JARED QUAY: What's up, everybody? I'm here with All Pro tight end George Kittle. George, how are you doing today, brother?
GEORGE KITTLE: I'm doing excellent. How are we doing today, Jared?
JARED QUAY: I'm doing amazing now that you're rushing with me, man. So in the sports world there's been a lot of crazy news going on. So I was wondering if I can get you to help me with the headlines, all right? Is that cool?
GEORGE KITTLE: I would love to because some of these headlines have been pretty exciting. So I would love to be part of them.
- Helping with headlines.
JARED QUAY: All right, and one of the biggest stories, your coach, Kyle Shanahan, went super dark at his presser on Monday and caught a lot of people by surprise with his comments. Is there a guy in the locker room that you would expect to say things like that, or is that how coach normally is? Or is there someone else that's usually pretty like that? Like, we don't know if we'll be here tomorrow.
GEORGE KITTLE: No. I mean, I've heard that quote like once or twice in my career with Coach Shanahan so far in different contexts. But when he gets asked like kind of a silly question-- like, hey, can you guarantee this person's your starting quarter? Like, that's a silly question. I mean, there's a lot of questions up in the air obviously.
And so I think he was just having some fun with the conversation. And I wouldn't say it was too dark. I think it's pretty realistic. But at the same time I think it's absolutely hilarious. So, I mean, I love the quote. I love that.
JARED QUAY: Cryptocurrency became a huge lately with a lot of players demanding their salary in cryptocurrency. So I want to know--
GEORGE KITTLE: I saw that.
JARED QUAY: --if the Niners were going to pay you in something other than cash, what would you want?
GEORGE KITTLE: Land. I'll take acreage. Pay me in land, maybe. There's a finite amount of land around the world. So if you want to pay me in 75 million acres, I'll take 75 million acres.
JARED QUAY: That's hilarious. Hey man, he signed a five-year, 250 acres deal with a player option for another six acres. So the NFL just announced a new rule that basically lets players wear any number they want. Does that interest you at all in changing from 85, or you want to change numbers?
GEORGE KITTLE: Well, the only other number I'd ever want to be is 11 just because I think that's a sick number. And then I think there's a tight end in Texas like when I was a kid that wore it that I thought he was really cool. So that one's always a been stuck in my head.
No, I don't think I would ever do anything differently. I wouldn't change. But I do like the point that Tom Brady made about how difficult it's going to be to identify guys on defense now. I think it's going to be very difficult, and I think it's going to totally mess with guys, especially on offense.
And it's going to take some getting used to see like a safety that's at number 6 and then the linebacker next to him's number 7. Like, that's going to be kind of weird. A linebacker safety position is what's going to be interesting just because like three or four defenses have like the outside linebackers. Your safeties are down.
Like, you can make them all like numbers 1 through 10. And like how are you going to really tell the difference from them when they're all the same size unless you know who they are? It's going to be difficult.
JARED QUAY: There's a new tight end is getting drafted this year named Kyle Pitts, and some believe he may be the highest tight end selected in draft ever. But I feel like tight ends these days are doing twice the work with blocking and catching balls, and they get paid half of what receivers get paid. Do you think tight ends may be underpaid?
GEORGE KITTLE: Wow, man. You're on to something right there. Yeah, that's what we're fighting for, man. That's what the tight ends are trying to do. We're trying to remake this mark and try to figure out why the average tight end gets paid like, $10 million or less while there's some guys out there making over $20 million.
And I think that's kind of insane to me. And I think people don't value the tight end position as much as they should because you're an extra offensive lineman, and you're an extra wide receiver. You get asked to do all these different things, yet we're going to pay the least amount of money comparatively to the positions that you're going against.
And I think that's completely absurd, and I hate that. And I'm really happy that I got to kind of set the tone in the market. But I'm really just waiting for like TJ Hockenson to have back-to-back Pro Bowl years and so have to pay him $17 million or $18 million. And then I can try to do more than that again, and I'm just trying to raise the bar of these I know so every tight end across the league gets paid what they deserve.
JARED QUAY: You're one of the best blockers in the game too. Like, why do you like blocking so much? It doesn't seem very fun at all.
GEORGE KITTLE: Are you kidding me? Man, when you grab someone and you move them back 5 yards and then dump them on their back and land on them, like, that is so much better than anything else I've ever done. It is the most rewarding feeling of all time.
Like, you could be on a minus 4-yard run. But if I take a defensive end and I plant that dude on his back that weighs 280 pounds and I'm like 245, man, you're going to hear it from me. Like, I'm going to be in your ear the rest of the game, and I cannot wait. It is one of the best feelings ever.
JARED QUAY: And I heard you have a fun, cool commercial coming out. And so I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about that.
GEORGE KITTLE: Kingsford came to me, and they asked me about if I want to do like a wrestling commercial to support their 100% of hickory wood pellets. And I was like, well, why me? And they're like, 100% of the time you're authentic, and you are who you are. And we want you to represent our 100% authentic hickory wood pellets. And I was like, that sounds like a great idea.
What you see is what you get. Just like me.
- Whoo!
GEORGE KITTLE: And the commercials actually on my Instagram, @gkittle46. It's on Kingsford's Instagram. It's on TJ Hockenson's Instagram because he had to deal with me. So that was pretty fun too just to be able to do a commercial with TJ Hockenson.
JARED QUAY: I feel like you could be a wrestler, right? If there's any one in the NFL that could easily transition to wrestling, it would be you. And if you were, what would be your name?
GEORGE KITTLE: I've literally never thought about my name. It's just something I think it's going to come naturally whenever I do go down that path in my life. And I think that at some point I will definitely want to be like a wrestler to some extent. I really just want to hit someone with a steel chair. Like, that's all I really want to do.
JARED QUAY: All right. Look, I appreciate you, Kittle, for spending time with me here, man. I'm excited to see you in the pads this year. Thank you for rushing with we.
GEORGE KITTLE: Hey, I had an absolute blast. Can't wait to do it again, baby.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
