How George Kittle is Embracing the 49ers' Trip to Australia

No one on the 49ers wants to play in Australia, but this is how George Kittle is embracing it.

Nov 2, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) leaves the field following a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

George Kittle is elite when it comes to playing on the football field, but he's also elite at converting a negative into a positive.

That's exactly what he's doing when it comes to the San Francisco 49ers' Week 1 trip to Australia against the Los Angeles Rams. No one on the 49ers wants to travel for that game.

Unfortunately, they have no choice. Rather than continue to mope about it, Kittle has decided to embrace the Australia trip by having a positive outlook on it.

Kittle is wisely embracing the trip to Australia

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

"Is it really good for an athlete to be on a plane for fifteen hours before he goes to play a football game? Probably not," said Kittle to Kay Adams on The Up and Adams Show. "But the experience is going to be sick. I'm going to have a great time. You just have to embrace it. There's nothing we can do to change it, and so it is what it is.

"Let's go and have a great time and get out there early, have some great practices, enjoy Australia, have a good team dinner. One thing that will be really cool about it is, I'd say like 95% of people's families aren't gonna go because it's such a trip. So you're gonna have all of the guys together for a week. It forces team bonding. It forces you to hang out with each other. It's a great time."

What a perfect perspective to have on the Australia trip. This is why Kittle is a prominent leader, among numerous other factors.

His outlook on Week 1 will surely resonate with the rest of the team. And if it doesn't yet, he'll be sure to make it clear to everyone when training camp arrives.

But I think the 49ers have embraced the trip by now, despite being annoyed with it. Even Brock Purdy has taken the right approach to playing in Australia.

Kittle isn't the only one. It seems the 49ers have embraced it fully. That's the only way to do it. Otherwise, if they continue to carry negative feelings about that game, they will lose.

The 49ers won't perform at their best if they complain about traveling to Australia during training camp, especially once they get there. It'll limit their focus for that game.

By embracing it positively, like how Kittle is doing it, they will put themselves in the best position to win.

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