George Kittle is riding his NFL career until the wheels fall off, at least that’s the hope.
The veteran 49ers tight end joined the “Bussin’ with the Boys” podcast and was asked when he plans to retire.
“Literally until I don’t have fun anymore,” Kittle said. “Or if [his wife] Claire looks at me and goes, ‘You kinda look like s–t out there, you should retire’. I’ll be like, ‘All right.’
“I don’t know, I think if I get to 35 and it hurts to put pants on in the morning, I think I’ll be like, ‘Ah, this isn’t that much fun anymore,’ and I’ll have a conversation with myself. But I’m feeling great right now.”
The 31-year-old Kittle, coming off his eighth season with San Francisco, signed a four-year, $76.4 million extension that keeps him under contract with the 49ers through the 2029 season.
Over eight NFL seasons, Kittle has 538 receptions for 7,380 yards and 45 touchdowns — and he has shown no signs of slowing down. Last season, he led all NFL tight ends with a 14.2-yard average per reception while compiling his fourth career 1,000-yard campaign.
And while he hopes he still has some time before hanging up his cleats, Kittle acknowledged that he’s thought about life after football, and previewed what could be next for him.
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“I haven’t daydreamed about it or anything like that, but I’m definitely aware that there are potential opportunities and doors that could be open,” Kittle said. “So I’m just excited about that stuff. I would love to do WWE. I think there’s definitely opportunity within that world, and I would love nothing more than to be a part of it.
“My only question mark with that is I so much love being a fan of WWE. I would only do WWE if I bought a ring and practiced my ass off for a long time so I wouldn’t look like an idiot out there. I’ve been in a WWE ring like three times. I don’t know what I’m doing out there. I have an understanding of how it works, but I haven’t moonsaulted off the top rope at WrestleMania like Pat McAfee did.”
Practice makes perfect.
And at least he has plenty of time to adjust to a potential WWE career shift when he decides he’s done being one of the greatest tight ends in football.
