49ers star George Kittle makes major statement on what tight ends truly deserve in the NFL

George Kittle has established himself in recent years as the leading voice for tight ends across the NFL. A position that does so much but often receives little recognition, the San Francisco 49ers star never misses a chance to speak up and give it the respect it deserves.

Financial factors remain a key concern for players across the league, and Kittle is well aware of that. Recently becoming the highest-paid player at his position, he highlighted the flaws surrounding the current situation and called for his fellow TE’s to receive the same level of recognition and compensation as other key positions.

During a recent conversation with the media, one of the Bay Area team’s top offensive weapons expressed his dissatisfaction with the current salary landscape and called for his peers to be paid what they truly deserve.

“The only way for the tight end market to continue to grow is if everybody’s getting paid,” Kittle told The Dan Patrick Show on Monday. “That’s the only way to do it. You can’t just have one guy do it and then it just sits for four years because then you’re stuck and it’s stagnant and no one’s getting paid.

“We want everybody, I want everybody to have great seasons. I want everybody to have great games, just not against the 49ers. Throughout the rest of the season, they can play as well as they want to because I want guys to get paid, to keep bumping up that market so by the time that Brock Bowers is doing his contract in three years, he’s going for over $20 million, which he will. That’s just the whole point.”

The voice of the tight ends

It’s no coincidence that George Kittle has become one of the most influential players in shaping the evolution of this essential position in football. As one of the founders of Tight End University, he firmly believes that tight ends have a lot to offer — and deserve to be recognized accordingly.

“When Tight End U started, I think the top of the market was 15 (million dollars), and now we’re almost at 20,” he said. “So we’re continually growing it. As a tight end and as a position who does everything, yeah, I think we should be making more money, but we’re working on it.”

While there’s still a long road ahead, the truth is that the tight end position has grown exponentially compared to others, and many hope it will soon receive the recognition it truly deserves.