George Kittle Fires Back at Kyle Shanahan Hot Seat Talk: “You Guys Are Not the Smartest”

49es TE George Kittle sounded annoyed when reporters asked him about head coach Kyle Shanahan's future in the Bay Area.

George Kittle Fires Back at Kyle Shanahan Hot Seat Talk: “You Guys Are Not the Smartest”

Kyle Shanahan and George Kittle (Image via IMAGO)

George Kittle has only ever known one head coach since the San Francisco 49ers drafted him in 2017. And that’s Kyle Shanahan. So, it’s borderline blasphemous for Kittle to even dream of seeing Shanahan leaving the Niners.

Sure, Shanahan has yet to deliver a Super Bowl win, but the Niners have played on that stage twice. They regularly stay in the mix for NFC supremacy, and that’s exactly the reason the Niners are more content to have the 46-year-old in the building.

Shanahan is 82-67 or .550 as the 49ers head honcho. The Niners finished at the top of the NFC West three times and won the conference twice in four tries.

Despite all the injuries to key players, including Kittle, Fred Warner, Brock Purdy, and Nick Bosa, the 49ers qualified for the playoffs. They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the wildcard round before losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round.

It’s a testament to Shanahan’s coaching prowess. That’s why Kittle sounded annoyed when a reporter asked him whether Shanahan’s job is on the line.

Anybody that says Kyle Shanahan is on the hot seat; you guys are not the smartest. It doesn’t make any sense to me. The fact that we were able to go to the playoffs, win a road game, and make it to the second round is pretty incredible to me.

Kittle said

Kittle signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract extension last year. The veteran tight end hurt his hamstring earlier in the season and then suffered an ACL tear that ended his campaign early. He played 11 games, registered 57 receptions for 628 yards, and scored 8 touchdowns.

Kittle echoed the same sentiment presented by former 49ers corner Richard Sherman.

I don’t know who asked this question, but we [have] got to check what’s in their cup. If Kyle Shanahan misses the playoffs this year, would he be on the hot seat? Absolutely not, absolutely not. He wouldn’t even be close. He’d be on the iceberg; he’d still be on the absolute iceberg. And if he somehow was on the hot seat, then there’d be 20 seats in the NFL getting hotter as his gets hotter, because if he ever got fired, so would they.

Sherman said on his podcast

Shanahan’s contract runs through the end of the 2027 season. General manager John Lynch is confident that the Niners will reach an agreement with Shanahan soon.

RELATED
Predicting the Breakout Player for Each AFC North Team Ahead of 2026 Season

George Kittle advocates for grass NFL fields after seeing the USMNT’s 2026 World Cup opener

On Saturday, the USMNT, or the US Men’s National Soccer Team, kicked off its 2026 World Cup adventure by defeating Paraguay 4-1 at SoFi Stadium. While everyone was busy celebrating the nation’s first win, 49ers star TE Kittle posted a thought-provoking tweet.

George Kittle Fires Back at Kyle Shanahan Hot Seat Talk You Guys Are Not the Smartest
George Kittle (Image via IMAGO)

Kittle wrote,

This grass looks great on Sofi’s field… wonder if we could get that all season.

Playing surfaces have been a topic of conversation around the league for a while. The NFL bigwigs prefer artificial turf over grass fields because players sprint faster on turf. However, it also causes frequent injuries. Turf played a big part in Kittle’s ACL injury.

According to the NFL Players Association, approximately 92% of players in the league prefer natural grass. With the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement set to expire at the end of the 2030 season, there’s a possibility that players could push for the NFL to outlaw turf in favor of grass.

Also Read: