“Got to figure out a way to win”: George Kittle highlights mindset if 49ers lose Brandon Aiyuk
Brandon Aiyuk has been on the outside of the Niners unit throughout the offseason. While Aiyuk's future with the team remains unclear, its tight end is ready for another historic season without him.
The San Francisco 49ers have been trying to get a deal done with Aiyuk all offseason long. That did not pan out and the Niners agreed to his trade request. If he is ultimately traded, San Francisco's unit will be considerably weaker compared to last season's.
However, TE George Kittle discussed his mindset if the team ends up losing Brandon Aiyuk. The five-time Pro Bowler appeared on ‘Up & Adams’ on Sunday and talked about the importance of the star wide receiver to him and the Niners.
“I love Brandon Aiyuk”, said Kittle. “He's a phenomenal football player. He’s everything you want in a wide receiver, he blocks, he runs great routes. He had 13-1400 yards on, 75 catches. Unreal. He's an amazing football player, and he'll make winning for us easier.”
The loss of a player like Aiyuk would hurt any unit, but Kittle has a lot of trust in the team's roster to overcome that.
“But we've lost great players in the past before”, added Kittle. “It's just football, like, sometimes a revolving door. Sometimes you lose guys, and I prefer not to lose them, because Aiyuk’s one of my good friends. But hey, football's football and you just got to figure out a way to win with the guys that are on the field,” Kittle added.
Kittle’s words show a lot of confidence in his teammates. While he prefers Aiyuk to rejoin the squad, he is also prepared to march on without him.
The Brandon Aiyuk trade saga has one more twist
Since the start of the offseason, the San Francisco 49ers expressed that they want to work things out with Aiyuk. But after his trade request and immense interest from the Pittsburgh Steelers, things appeared to be broken beyond repair.
However, new reports have suggested the Niners made a $30 million offer to Aiyuk. The NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo also reported that he prefers to stay with his current team and both sides just need to iron out the deal and finalize it.