George Kittle Reveals Two 49ers Rivals Were Interested in Drafting Him

San Francisco dodged a nightmare scenario there.

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 | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The 2017 NFL Draft marked the beginning of a new era for the San Francisco 49ers, led by head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.

They ended up drafting tight end George Kittle in the fifth round (146th overall), a late-round pick who would go on to become one of the greatest tight ends and offensive playmakers in franchise history.

But it has since come to light that the 49ers nearly missed out on Kittle, with the 32-year-old revealing rival teams were monitoring him before he found his home in the City by the Bay.

George Kittle shares the Seattle Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys were interested

Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle before action against the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Kittle revealed that both the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks were interested in drafting him, with Dallas showing pre-draft interest before going quiet, while Seattle came close to selecting him.

Speaking in a revealing interview with Alex Sherman of CNBC, Kittle detailed how his draft day turned out back in 2017.

"I talked most to the Dallas Cowboys," shared Kittle.

"They talked to me a ton throughout the whole process. Before the Combine, during it and after the Combine, workouts, and then I didn't hear anything on Draft day.

"I grew up a Chicago Bears fan, but I was thinking just get my foot through the door in any building, and I'd show what I was made of.

“I had 1 phone call at the end of the 4th round. My agent called me and said the Seahawks were looking to draft me with the 3rd pick and then literally my agent was on the phone with Seattle when the Niners called me to draft me with the 2nd pick of the 5th round.

"I thought I was gonna go to Seattle and then I ended up going to the San Francisco 49ers.”

The nature of the draft is that it's always a gamble, but it's hard to imagine the 49ers without Kittle in the Shanahan-Lynch era.

He's one of the roster's core leaders, helping set the standard while perfectly embodying the culture built by the front office. He even convinced Mike Evans to join the franchise in free agency.

As the longest-tenured player of this era, Kittle is on track to go down as a franchise Hall of Famer - and if his wish to finish his career in San Francisco is fulfilled, his legacy will only grow younger.

San Francisco dodged a nightmare scenario in potentially allowing a late-round gem to a rival team.