Kittle hopes 49ers give Aiyuk ‘the money that he deserves’

Kittle hopes 49ers give Aiyuk ‘the money that he deserves’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

In recent weeks, the 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk have engaged in a very public contract dispute as the star receiver seeks a massive extension entering the final year of his rookie deal.

On Monday — just hours before San Francisco’s veterans are set to report to training camp — teammate George Kittle shared why the organization needs to give Aiyuk the money he wants.

“Aiyuk’s just a phenomenal football player,” Kittle said on NFL Network’s “The Insiders” (h/t NFL.com). “He does everything you want him to do as a wide receiver, including taking touchdowns from me once in a while, which I’m totally OK with. But he’s just such a dynamic receiver and he’s just such a very important part of our offense. So, yes, getting Brandon Aiyuk the money that he deserves — I hope nothing for the best for him.”

Of course, Kittle isn’t the one making that decision around Aiyuk — that’s for general manager John Lynch — but that’s not stopping the 49ers tight end from expressing his support.

“There’s, unfortunately, not much that I can do to help out with that, except just cheer him on from the sidelines and hopefully we figure something out because he’s one of my favorite teammates I’ve had,” Kittle said.

As perhaps the NFL’s most well-rounded tight end, Kittle knows a thing or two about being a do-it-all pass catcher and blocker. Kittle recognized Aiyuk’s versatile strengths in making him a blank-check caliber of player.

“When there’s a receiver who can run every single route, catch all the tough footballs, be open at the right time, but also grinds in the run game, blocks everybody you want him to — you see all his highlights in the run game,” Kittle explained. “When you have a guy that does all that type of stuff and just sets the tempo and sets the tone — those guys are really important to your offense.”

That utility for the 49ers is why Kittle is willing to sacrifice a few…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kittle-hopes-49ers-aiyuk-money-030500041.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-07-23 03:05:00

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