George Kittle: 49ers tight end calls out NFL to change their schedule

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has sent a strong message to the National Football League over their scheduling policy.

The tight end position has changed a lot over the years, and now rather than just being seen as an additional blocker that can catch, more than ever a tight-end can be a crucial part of a team’s offense. 

And there aren’t that many that strike fear into the heart of opposing defenders quite in the way that George Kittle has managed to do with the San Francisco 49ers in the past few seasons, as he has developed into one of the best in the league at the position. 

In his five seasons in the league, he has managed to put up 4,489 receiving yards in the NFL which has led to 20 touchdowns and earned him plenty of awards along the way, including three Pro Bowls and being named 1st team All-Pro during the 2019 season.

George Kittle: The only tight end to gain 600+ yards after the catch in 2019 (621) pic.twitter.com/uExebKaPQz

Injuries have seen his production stutter at times, most notably in 2020 when he missed a lot of time with a broken foot, and now he has called upon the NFL to take extra measures to prevent more players getting injuries.

Speaking with comedian Kevin Hart on his show Cold As Balls (quoted by NBC Sports), Kittle felt that the NFL needs to give players an extra bye week during the season in order to offset the extra toll on their bodies that a 17-game season will bring:

“There’s a huge physical toll. And like, 17 games is a lot. It’s a lot of games, with one bye, whether it’s Week 4 or the bye is Week 11. I’m advocating for two byes. But the physical toll you feel it week in and week out.”

The 2022 NFL season will be the 2nd that contains 17 games after NFL changed their