George Kittle Has April Fools' Day Fun at Jaguars' Expense
No, the Jacksonville Jaguars didn't solve their tight end issues on Thursday -- it was just a case of arguably the NFL's best tight end enjoying himself on April Fools' Day.
For a fleeting few seconds on Thursday, a few diehard Jaguars fans likely thought their team had made the monumental move to trade for the All-Pro and Pro Bowl tight end ... because Kittle himself had said so. But, as always, check the date.
Kittle agreed to a five-year, $75 million extension with San Francisco 49er last year and isn't going anywhere, especially after the 49ers traded three first-round picks to move from No. 12 overall to No. 3 overall in this month's draft so they could draft a quarterback.
But it was an entertaining jest by Kittle considering the Jaguars' massive hole at tight end and their undying wish from the fan base to fill that void on the roster. Kittle is alone with only Travis Kelce at the top of the tight end pecking order, after all.
Since the 49ers drafted Kittle in the fifth-round in 2017, the athletic former Iowa skill player has launched himself into superstar territory. In four years, he has caught 264 passes for 3,579 yards and 14 touchdowns, including a span from 2018-2019 where he caught 173 passes for 2,430 yards and 10 touchdowns, breaking numerous tight end records.
The joke of course was all in good fun, and the Jaguars themselves even got in on the fun ... while likely hoping there would one day be a shred of truth to the star tight end's pull of the leg.
While Kittle's April Fools' Day joke is only that, it doesn't take away from how badly the Jaguars will need to find a tight end on one of the days following April 1. The Jaguars declined 2020 starter Tyler Eifert's team option for 2020 and traded Josh Oliver to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2022 conditional seventh-round pick.
The only addition the Jaguars made at tight end was veteran blocking tight end Chris Manhertz, who has caught 12 passes in 70 career games. The Jaguars won't be trading for Kittle, but they should continue to look at the veteran tight end market for, well, players who aren't only on the move on April's Fools' Day.
