George Kittle bullish on 49ers’ 2026 outlook and Mike Evans addition

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle continues to target Week 1 of the 2026 season for his return after suffering an Achilles injury during last season's playoffs.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Kittle said there is plenty of excitement within the organization about the team's prospects for the upcoming season. He also reiterated that his recovery remains ahead of schedule and that he has not experienced any setbacks.

As for the 49ers' outlook in 2026, Kittle couldn't hide his enthusiasm.

"The Niner boys, we are very excited," Kittle said. "It's fun. We've got a lot of fresh faces, very talented players like [WR] Mike Evans, [WR] Christian Kirk, [DT] Osa [Odighizuwa], the D-lineman we got from the Cowboys—I'm so pumped about him. He's massive. He is a large human being. Yeah, very intimidating, so I'm excited that he's on my team.

"Nick Bosa looks great. Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, they have their best friendship back. They're excited to be playing together. The boys are buzzing right now. And I'm very excited about [defensive coordinator] Raheem Morris."

Evans was the 49ers' marquee free-agent addition this offseason, bringing 12 years of NFL experience and elite production to a revamped wide receiver group. The veteran wideout joins a room filled with young talent and gives quarterback Brock Purdy another proven playmaker.

Although Kittle has not yet been cleared to participate in offseason practices, he has closely observed Evans' work habits and has been impressed by what he's seen.

"Just having him in the building, one thing I just love about him is that he's ultra-professional," Kittle said. "Everything he does, how he warms up, how methodical he is, everything, how he catches the ball, his techniques, everything he does is like he's preparing each practice like he's preparing for a game.

"And it's just fun to have a guy going into year 13 ... who's had immense success. He's only two months older than me, which is crazy. But he's just been playing at such a high level for so long. And just to have someone in the building like that, it's awesome because all it could do is help us."

If anyone is concerned about Evans possibly slowing down at age 32, Kittle added, "And I will say, he's still really, really fast. He is still running insane routes."

Kittle clearly believes the 49ers' offseason additions have positioned the team to remain firmly in the Super Bowl conversation.