George Kittle Cites How the 49ers Are Different From Last Season

What's different from 2025?

November 24, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) during the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

George Kittle has become, if he wasn’t already, the official spokesperson of the San Francisco 49ers this year. 

He’s been a hot commodity to interview this season to share his perspective about the 49ers, as well as provide updates on his recovery from a torn Achilles.

Kittle most recently appeared on The Unbuttoned podcast with NBC Sports’ Chris Simms. One of the more intriguing questions he was asked was to cite the biggest difference from the 49ers this year to last year.

Kittle reveals the key difference from 2025

Dec 14, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) scores a touchdown during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I’m really excited about this year. We have a lot of different players than we have in years past,” Kittle said. “We had a lot more free agents, a lot of draft picks; it feels like a newer building. The faces we brought in are big playmakers.

“I’m talking about Mike Evans, talking about Christian Kirk, but just that veteran leadership of guys who have been in the league for years playing at a high level still, and they just love ball. That’s all they’re focused on. I’m excited about that.”

Kittle is right. The 49ers don’t usually bring a nice squad of players in the offseason, especially not more than a few impactful ones. But this year was different.

They somehow landed Evans, thanks to his willingness to leave more money on the table in free agency. He’s the highlight player, but they also traded for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, arguably their best addition.

The 49ers added players through multiple avenues in the uncommon offseason. They used free agency, pulled off a trade, and made a draft pick—the trifecta of resources.

Another key difference that Kittle alludes to is the veteran leadership they brought in. In the last couple of seasons, the 49ers haven’t had much of that. Their emphasis has been to plant the seeds for a new nucleus.

They needed to get younger and find new gems for the future. Most of that was allocated towards the defense, while the offense is filled with veterans. Nevertheless, they didn’t have this many experienced players recently. 

Their success from 2025 is what led them to push for impactful veterans. On one hand, it’s great that they have players who are ready to immediately contribute and improve the team.

On the other hand, it’s very shortsighted and can also unravel quickly if those veterans struggle to perform as well as they can due to their age or fail to stay healthy. It’s a gamble.

And it’s one the 49ers are ready to take if it’ll pay off.

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