George Kittle and the 49ers have maintained their humble perspective despite their recent success.
In Kyle Shanahan's first two seasons as 49ers head coach, San Francisco finished 6-10 and 4-12 in 2017 and 2018, respectively, before bursting onto the scene in 2019, with a 13-3 regular-season record en route to a Super Bowl LIV appearance.
The 49ers posted an underwhelming 6-10 record in 2020 after veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered two separate high-ankle sprains that sidelined him for the majority of the season. They bounced back in 2021 and 2022 with back-to-back NFC Championship Game appearances.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
In an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Bay Area's Jennifer Lee Chan, Kittle shared how he and the 49ers have remained humble despite their recent success and sky-high expectations for the team heading into the regime's seventh season.
"I think you still have an underdog mentality, you still have that mindset whether it's like people talking us up 'Hey, you have all these great players, you have a lot of paid players, superstars, guys at every position, lots of mouths to feed,' " Kittle told Chan. "But you still have to have that mindset of I have to work as hard as I can every single day and I still have to challenge myself every single day and put myself in situations where it's going to be difficult every single day.
"You get into an NFL game it's not easy. I think what the great thing about this team is we have so many vets who have been on both really good teams and really bad teams and we know what it's like to be on a bad team. None of us want to do that again. I'm not going to say those teams we were on didn't work hard, but we have way too talented of a roster to not perform at a super high level. We all know that and I don't think that's added pressure, I think we're aware of that and we're just really excited to continue to grind, continue to work and just go out there and play football."
The 49ers' 2023 roster, on paper, is one of the best the organization has ever seen with superstar players headlining both sides of the ball.
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
San Francisco widely is regarded as one of the best teams in the league and one of the favorites to win Super Bowl LVIII alongside powerhouses like the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys.
Kittle and the 49ers are aware of those expectations but will continue playing with a chip on their shoulder even though there isn't much left to prove.