Exclusive: 49ers TE George Kittle Explains What Motivates Him in Year 10

Interesting insight.

Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) looks on during warmups prior to an NFC Wild Card Round game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A decade representing the San Francisco 49ers is a rare achievement in the National Football League.

The NFL is an unforgiving league where circumstances can change in the blink of an eye, but George Kittle is set to become one of the newest members of the 49ers' 10-Year Wall.

Kittle is one of the joint-longest-tenured players on the current roster, along with Kyle Juszczyk.

During that time, he has cemented his place among the NFL's elite tight ends, recording 595 receptions for 8,008 receiving yards and 52 touchdowns across 124 regular season matchups.

Speaking exclusively to 49ers on SI's Henry Cheal, Kittle discussed at length what has kept him motivated throughout his lengthy NFL career and what continues to drive him to perform at an elite level season after season.

"You know, it's just I love football and I'm very aware that you have so many years to play this awesome game," he said.

"And so, I'm going to do everything I can to play as long as I possibly can. It's not really hard for me to be motivated every single day.

"Like, I wake up, you know, my wife loves me, my family's healthy and I get paid to play football. So, what I'm going to do is try my best to take advantage of my opportunity to play football.

"Whether that's training a lot, being on the field as much as I can be, recovering as best as I can, that's really easy for me. And then, I like to surround myself with like-minded people. So, you know, I train with a bunch of other NFL guys in the offseason at my place in Tennessee.

"And it's just like you're always, you know, it's good for the team morale, but you're also comparing yourself and competing with the guys you're working out with.

"So, like, you're always seeing me compare with other guys across the league. I love the game and I also believe there's football gods, so you get out what you put into it, and you know, it's done pretty well by me."

Kittle's production has cemented him among the greatest players in 49ers history. He is one of just three players in franchise history, and the only tight end, to record at least 500 receptions and 50 receiving touchdowns.

He is also closing in on the franchise record for receiving touchdowns by a tight end. Kittle needs just four more touchdowns to surpass Vernon Davis, a milestone that appears well within reach.