San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle deflected questions about his contract status while speaking with reporters during the week following Super Bowl LIV. The All-Pro player told reporters to direct those questions toward his agent.
Those contract negotiations are ongoing, but Kittle isn't making it a secret where he prefers to be for the long-term. Apparently, the tight end told head coach Kyle Shanahan's wife, Mandy, that he loves playing for her husband and the 49ers as the group recently enjoyed a game of golf.
But it was supposed to be a secret. Kittle is, after all, trying to get as much money as he can from the team.
"He told my wife how much he liked it here," Shanahan told reporters on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "He told my wife to promise not to tell me. So after he was gone, she told me."
Why would she betray Kittle's trust like that?
"She's my wife," said Shanahan.
Shanahan said of golfing with TE George Kittle, who has ongoing contract talks w/ team. "There's always little jabs here and there," he said. "He told my wife how much he liked it here. He told my wife to promise not to tell me. So after he was gone she told me. She's my wife."
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) February 25, 2020
Maybe, just maybe, Kittle wanted Shanahan to know how much he loved being a Forty-Niner. Maybe it's all part of his negotiation tactics. Or maybe Kittle was just trying to throw Shanahan off his golf game.
George Kittle: He's an A+ tight end, but needs a lot of work as a negotiator ... https://t.co/UBY9xbMZ1W
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) February 25, 2020