What to Expect from 49ers TE George Kittle in 2024

Kittle is signed through 2025. Will the 49ers extend his contract?

George Kittle greets the crowd during the “Tight Ends & Friends” concert at Brooklyn Bowl Tuesday, June 18, 2024 in Nashville, Tenn. / Alan Poizner / For The Tennessean / USA

Every season it's easy to predict what George Kittle will do.

He'll miss at least one game with an injury that would force a lesser player to miss at least a month. He'll catch 60 to 70 passes. He'll gain between 750 and 1,050 yards. And he'll score 5 or 6 touchdowns. You know it. I know it. He knows it.

Then in the playoffs, Kyle Shanahan will forget Kittle exists and he'll catch just 2 or 3 passes per game. And he won't complain even though he should. He should demand the ball the way Travis Kelce does. But Kittle never will.

And at the end of the season, Kittle either will be a first-team All Pro or a second-team All Pro. And everyone will acknowledge that he's a Hall of Fame talent who may not have Hall of Fame numbers simply because the 49ers choose not to feature him in the passing game the way other teams absolutely would. If Kittle were on the Chiefs instead of Kelce, Kittle probably would catch at least 100 passes every season.

As long as Kittle takes care of his body, he should be able to maintain his current level of production into his mid-30s because tight ends tend to age more gracefully than wide receivers who generally begin to decline when they hit 30. Tight ends are far less dependent on speed to be successful because they still can block and catch passes that move the chains and score touchdowns.

Kittle is signed through 2025. Will they extend his contract?

Stay tuned.