San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle did not hold back when talking about one player who is, at least for now, still his teammate.
In an appearance on “Pardon My Take,” Kittle was asked semi-jokingly about wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s skill level right now. Kittle revealed the last time he saw Aiyuk, and made it pretty clear that he will not be sorry to see the wide receiver go.
“The last time I saw Aiyuk was, call it Week 6, 7 or 8. I don’t really know,” Kittle said, via Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports Bay Area. “I used to make it a habit of mine to go out early in the morning before meetings to watch him train because he’d always be out there early, and I watched him run over 22 miles per hour and stop on a dime. So he’s still got it, or at least that was eight months ago, so I don’t really know.
“You guys have fun with that, I guess … You have fun that all that comes with it.”
That last comment pretty much sums up how the Niners view Aiyuk. He essentially started ignoring rehab appointments last season and burned all his bridges with the organization. He is openly agitating for a move to the Washington Commanders, but the 49ers have held onto him in the hope of getting something for him in a trade.
Aiyuk has also engaged in some erratic off-field behavior this offseason, which Kittle no doubt took note of.
Kittle has never been terribly shy about calling out teammates who deserve it. Aiyuk almost certainly will not be his teammate much longer, which makes it easier, but there is no doubt that the tight end is ready for the team to move on.
