George Kittle is all for the NFL taking its show overseas. He just doesn’t want the league pretending the travel part is no big deal.
The San Francisco 49ers tight end said he loves the chance to play in different countries and called it “an awesome opportunity,” but he also made clear that player safety has to keep pace if the league keeps expanding into international venues.
The 49ers are scheduled for two international games this season, opening in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia before heading back to Mexico in Week 11 for a game at Estadio Banorte.
Kittle, who spoke exclusively to 49ers on SI’s Henry Cheal, framed the experience as something special for players even while acknowledging the toll it can take.
"I think playing in different countries is fun. It's an awesome opportunity. Like you said, I'm going to Australia and I'm going to Mexico," shared Kittle exclusively to 49ers on SI's Henry Cheal.
"Now, realistically, is that probably what's best for athletes to put them on a 15-hour flight? Probably not.
"But I look at it as a way - it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I'll probably never play in Australia again. I get to play in front of a fan base that I'll never get to play in front of again.
"I'm just looking at it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I'm going to go have the best fun I possibly can and try to win a football game. I'd say you've just got to really work with teams on it.
"Like, hey, when you send teams down to Brazil, you've got to give them extra time off because players need time for their bodies to rebound, and the NFL is more fun when all of the best players are playing at a high level and they're healthy.
"So as long as we can find workarounds, maybe throw in an extra bye week, something like that, then I think expanding into other countries is definitely the way to go."
That’s the heart of Kittle’s point: he likes the idea, but only if the league gives teams enough breathing room to recover. He specifically pointed to extra time off and even floated the idea of an additional bye week as possible solutions.
The topic matters even more because there’s still no certainty Kittle will be ready for Week 1, even though that’s been his target and the main focus of the discussion around his offseason rehab.
Games in Brazil and Mexico are not as demanding, and London or other European trips at least offer a little more downtime. Australia is a different story, and the distance alone makes the recovery question harder to ignore.
If Kittle is on the field for the opener against the Rams in Australia, it would be a strong sign that his rehab work paid off.
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