49ers TE George Kittle encouraging Jimmy Garoppolo to throw his way

All-Pro tight end George Kittle knows he can contribute more to the San Francisco 49ers offense. 

As Charean Williams mentioned for Pro Football Talk, Kittle caught just one of two passes thrown his way during last Sunday’s 22-16 win over the Los Angeles Chargers that improved the 49ers to 5-4 on the season. While Kittle hasn’t yet snapped at head coach Kyle Shanahan over a lack of targets, the 29-year-old admitted he’s addressed the matter with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. 

“Have I walked into Kyle’s office and saidm ‘Give me the ball?’ No, I haven’t done that, but I tell Jimmy on the sidelines all the time, ‘Hey, I’m open. I’m in one-on-one coverage. I’m available. Just throw me the ball when you need me,” Kittle explained. 

The topic of Kittle’s involvement in the offense first popped up back in early October. He said at that time he didn’t really care about his number of touches “as long as we’re winning games” but sang somewhat of a different tune ahead of Monday’s matchup against the 4-6 Arizona Cardinals.

“I’d love more than two targets, but it is what it is,” Kittle remarked. “We are winning the games, but I love the ball in my hands, and I like to provide a spark for the offense.” 

According to ESPN stats, Kittle is third on the 49ers with 41 targets, 29 catches and 340 receiving yards. He’s tied for second among San Francisco players with a pair of receiving touchdowns. 

Hall of Famer Steve Young suggested Shanahan would likely air it out more if he was starting a quarterback he truly trusted, but Kittle hasn’t thrown Garoppolo under the bus. 

“I always think Jimmy plays at a pretty high level, in my opinion,” Kittle said of his QB1 this week, per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. “I think he’s been consistent this year.” 

Kittle added that Garoppolo is “in a rhythm right now” and has “got us playing at a higher level.”