As George Kittle waits to sign a monster contract extension with the 49ers, he'll let his play on the field do all the talking for now.
The star tight end is expected to be Jimmy Garoppolo's go-to target once again when the 2020 NFL season eventually begins. But just how many receiving yards will Kittle rack up in his fourth season?
Pro Football Focus projects Kittle to have the second-most receiving yards for a tight end this upcoming season. Their projected leader is a bit of a surprise, though. Many would expect Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs to be ahead of Kittle, but PFF has him third on the list. Instead, it's Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews.
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Kittle's 2,430 receiving yards over the last two seasons are second-best for tight ends behind only Kelce. The 26-year-old also set the single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end (1,377) in 2018, even though Garoppolo missed all but three games with a torn ACL.
This past season, Kittle put up 1,053 receiving yards despite missing two games to leg injuries. He averaged 75.2 receiving yards per game in 2019. If Kittle were to maintain that for all 16 games, he would have had 1,203 receiving yards.
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Andrews, 23, had 852 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns last season. As MVP Lamar Jackson carved up defenses, Andrews became one of his top targets. There certainly is reason to believe he can add even more yards this year.
Even if Kittle isn't the leading receiver among tight ends, he still will be incredibly valuable for the 49ers as a blocker. Kittle is second to none when it comes to the best all-around tight end in football.
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