SANTA CLARA — The end of the 2023 NFL season means locker rooms will be cleaned out, and even though George Kittle will be returning in a few months, the 49ers tight end chose to organize his stash of customized cleats.
The All-Pro has a favorite pair that he wears more often than his other cleats, out of comfort, but he does try to change it up for specific games. Kittle shared the stories behind a few in his collection with NBC Sports Bay Area.
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Most of the specialized footwear in Kittle’s collection have been worn, or plan to be worn for primetime or playoff games.
There are red custom cleats made by Kittle’s speed coach in Nashville that have the DC Comics character “The Joker” on the heel in place of the Air Jordan logo. The word “HA” symbolizing the character’s laugh can also be seen all over the shoe.
Kittle wore the Joker cleats for the 49ers' Sunday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos in Week 3 of the 2022 season.
The 49ers' 2022 divisional playoff round matchup against the Dallas Cowboys also warranted special cleats. The set features red and white leather in a texturized snake pattern and a gold foil sugar skull and flower motif on the toe box, ankle and the Nike brand swoosh.
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Missing from the large selection laid out on the locker room floor were the Christmas Day cleats that are covered in red crystals like a crimson mirrorball. The tight end wore them in the club’s primetime matchup with the Baltimore Ravens this season.
Kittle explained that they had been sent to Las Vegas to be in a “locker room” display at the Super Bowl.
Bound to make their debut next season are a pair with a black and red checkerboard pattern on the back half of the shoe and hot-rod style gold flames around the toe box and side of the shoe. Kittle had planned to wear them for this season’s NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions, but explained they did not arrive in time.
Now finally organized, with plans to ship several pairs to his house in Nashville, Kittle will be able to bring in new custom footwear for seasons to come.
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