George Kittle had the inside scoop on the 49ers’ Week 1 matchup of the 2024 NFL season – and all of its details.
During San Francisco’s State of the Franchise event, the All-Pro tight end shared how he learned of the 49ers’ primetime "Monday Night Football" game on ESPN against the New York Jets weeks before the NFL’s schedule was released.
“I was at an event in Miami, and I ran into a Jets front office guy -- this was like two weeks before the schedule release,” Kittle said. “He was like, ‘Yeah, I can’t wait to see you guys on Monday Night Football.’ ”
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Caught off guard and surprised with what had been accidentally leaked to him, Kittle couldn’t hold back his bluntness or humor in front of the Jets executive.
“And I said, ‘Oh, we’re playing you guys on Monday Night Football, huh?’ " Kittle added. “And he was like, 'Oh, you know, that’s a rumor I heard.’
“I was like, ‘You told the wrong guy. I’m telling everybody. I have no loyalty to you. I will tell everybody.’ ”
A day before the NFL released the schedule, Kittle hinted at the matchup by sharing a photo of him and Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Instagram, which will be only the second time in history that San Francisco opens its season against New York.
San Francisco 49ers
In addition to Rodgers, who will look to redeem himself after a short-lived first season with the Jets, the 49ers will host former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, now head coach in New York, adding layers of storyline to an already anticipated season opener.
“Robert Saleh, and, you know, I have some former teammates over there that they’ve picked up,” Kittle said. “It’s going to be a really fun time.
“ 'Monday Night Football' at Levi’s Stadium. Anytime there’s a primetime game here the fans go all out, it’s a great atmosphere."
Accustomed to the primetime lights, Kittle and Co. will look to continue to challenge Rodgers in entertaining fashion, powered by a dynamic offense and a hard-nosed defense.
“It’s going to be really, really good for the NFL to show two good teams," Kittle added. "They feel like they didn’t have a fair shot last year.
"They didn’t have the quarterback that they wanted, so they’re going to be angry, tough and mean. Then, they have to go up against us, [which has] been our brand of football. So, it’s going to be a really, really good game.”