There's plenty of trash-talking on an NFL field, as players try to get into their opponents' heads to throw them off their game. In a sport decided by inches, any mental edge can prove crucial. When it comes to trash talk, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield agree on one of the NFL's most relentless trash talkers—49ers linebacker Fred Warner.

"Well, I go against Fred Warner every day of practice, and he doesn't ever stop talking," Kittle said in a video clip shared by Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game. "I think Baker can probably attest to that. He just talks the whole game."


Mayfield quickly added, "Yup," signaling his agreement with the 49ers playmaker.

Kittle concluded, "But, yeah, he's pretty high up there."


Kittle also mentioned that cornerback Jalen Ramsey, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, ranks high on the trash-talking list as well. However, Kittle noted that his interactions with Ramsey are unique—amid the trash talk, the two often share "nice conversation on the side in between plays."

"So I always enjoy that one, too," Kittle added.

Just in case his stance on Warner wasn't clear, Mayfield reiterated, "Yeah, Fred Warner is up there for trash talk."


Warner, entering his eighth season in the NFL, is widely considered one of the league's premier defensive players. He has never finished a season with fewer than 118 tackles and amassed 131 tackles in 2024, despite playing much of the season with a fractured ankle.

In 2024, Warner also recorded two interceptions, a touchdown, seven passes defensed, a sack, and four forced fumbles. He is a four-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl selection.

"Whatever I can do to help get the most out of my teammates, that's only going to make me better," Warner said in 2022. "If I'm out there talking noise, challenging, I have no choice but to be at the top of my game. Because if I'm over there talking all that noise and I'm not performing, then it's just talk. You've got to back that up with performance."

H/t to Peter Panacy of Niner Noise for the find.

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