SANTA CLARA -- In George Kittle's eyes, you've got to spend money to make money.
And so far, the investment he has made in himself throughout his seven-year NFL career has paid off. Literally.
In speaking to reporters after 49ers training camp practice on Wednesday, Kittle was asked approximately how much money he has spent on making himself a better football player, whether it's taking advantage of stem cell therapy for injury recovery or building his massive private training facility on his 75-acre property in Nashville, Tenn.
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"I learned a lesson early on in my career, my agent told me: 'You know what, you're a fifth-round draft pick. Nothing's guaranteed, you don't know how long you're going to play. But when it comes to your body, that's your business, so spend money on your body as long as you're not doing stupid stuff,' " Kittle recalled.
"I spend a lot of money on my body because at the end of the day, too, if you spend $50,000 on your body in one offseason and it gets you one more year in the NFL, the vet minimum is over $1 million so I think that's a pretty good investment."
Prior to the 49ers' preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans on Saturday at Nissan Stadium, Kittle hosted a team practice at his home in Nashville where he was able to show off his impressive private training facility and full-length football field.
San Francisco 49ers
Kittle revealed that the entire facility cost him approximately $1 million to build and is used by teammates and fellow players around the league throughout the offseason.
"It's something I had a dream about and 'if you build it, they will come.' 'Field of Dreams' reference there ...That was my goal, I want a football field, I want a training facility," Kittle shared. "I like to train with other guys, so I wanted to have enough space. I have anywhere from 12-to-16 guys almost every single day of the entire offseason."
The idea to have the entire team over for a practice at the facility, which is located just 25 minutes from the hotel they stayed in, came from Kittle's wife, Claire, who he revealed went over his head to begin coordinating the logistics with 49ers senior director of team operations Michael Slap on her own.
Kittle himself then was on board and began finalizing a workout and practice plan with 49ers head strength and conditioning coach Dustin Perry and coach Kyle Shanahan.
"[I] brought it up with Kyle and he was like 'George you really want to do that?' and I was like, 'to have the Niners at my house? Of course I want to do that,'" Kittle shared. "Just being able to have the guys out there, I think a lot of guys too they've never been around 75 acres in the country with a gym and a field on it too. So just kind of gives them a different perspective on how other guys live and other guys train, so if I can inspire them to put in a little bit more effort into their offseasons maybe? I'll take that any day of the week."
The 49ers, under Shanahan and president of football operations/general manager John Lynch, have found creative ways to maximize their preparation for games over the years, like staying at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. the week between consecutive East Coast games.
However, having one of your players provide the practice facility, free of charge, certainly is a nice perk.