George Kittle Sends Strong Message on 49ers’ Culture While Addressing Brandon Aiyuk Situation
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George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk (Image via IMAGO)
Brandon Aiyuk remains a San Francisco 49ers player even though he wants to play for the Washington Commanders. To achieve his goal, Aiyuk has taken several shots at the Niners over the past few months, including wishing the Commanders to win the Super Bowl.
Aityuk’s situation looks unlikely to change anytime soon. George Kittle, Aiyuk’s teammate, provided an update on the situation recently.
Kittle went on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned show and claimed that the 49ers have tried their best to handle Aiyuk with no avail.
Kyle [Shanahan] has tried, John [Lynch] has tried, and teammates have tried, and this is where we are. The organization itself has done a really good job.
George Kittle revealed
The All-Pro tight end hinted that he knows a lot about the mess, but he doesn’t have the conscience to reveal too much.
I don’t ever want to point a finger at anybody, but I’ve been here for 10 years, and I’ve been treated with nothing but respect and love my entire career. I feel like I’ve done it the right way for as long as I can. Contract negotiations are always hard for everybody. You just try your best not to be sensitive about it.
George Kittle told Simms
#49ers TE George Kittle says he knows more about the Brandon Aiyuk situation than he can share and believes the team has done everything it can:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 24, 2026
“I’ve been here for 10 years and I’ve been treated with nothing but respect and love my entire career.”
(via @CSimmsQB “Unbuttoned”) pic.twitter.com/hsYEz72GD4
George Kittle explained how to handle contract negotiations
The Niners drafted Kittle in the fifth round of the 2017 draft. He has been a mainstay on the roster ever since.
Kittle played three years on a rookie-year deal. Ahead of his fourth year, Kittle signed his first big-money contract, a $15 million/year extension.
Kittle had the pleasure of sharing a locker room with Super Bowl-winning corner Richard Sherman. Sherman taught Kittle a valuable lesson about negotiating contracts.
[Richard Sherman] told me, ‘Contracts are like braces. They hurt and they suck the entire time, but once you get your braces off and you get paid, you don’t even remember having them, and it’s a great time’.
Kittle said
Kittle noted that if anyone doesn’t have a similar mindset and holds a grudge for a long time, they have lost the plot.
Kittle doesn’t hold any grudge against Aiyuk. Earlier in the year, he boasted about the All-Pro wide receiver while appearing on the Pardon My Take show. Kittle recalled Aiyuk frequently visiting the 49ers facility for rehab.
I watched him run over 22 miles an hour and stop on a dime.
Kittle said back then
However, those events took place more than a year before the PMT episode was filmed. Aiyuk has avoided the Niners for that long.
The Niners signed Aiyuk to a four-year, $120 million contract extension right after he crossed 1300 yards for the first time in his career. However, seven games into his new contract, Aiyuk suffered a season-ending ACL tear. As Kittle highlighted, Aiyuk came to the facility during the early days of his rehab. But disappeared afterward.
When he refused to participate in the 2025 training camp, the Niners placed him on IR and voided his guarantees. He missed the entire season.
Aiyuk doesn’t want to play for the Niners any longer. His only goal is to link up with his former Arizona State teammate Jayden Daniels, who is the QB1 at Washington.
Aiyuk has caught 294 passes for 4305 yards and 25 touchdowns in 69 appearances since his league debut.
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