George Kittle Talks Brandon Aiyuk, Says 49ers Have Done 'Very Good Job' Handling Contract Dispute

George Kittle apparently disagrees with his teammate Brandon Aiyuk about how well San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are handling the ongoing dispute over Aiyuk's contract.

"I feel like the Niners have done a very good job throughout the entire project and have tried," Kittle told NBC Sports' Chris Simms around the 23:00 mark of Thursday's Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast. "Kyle has tried, John has tried, teammates have tried, and this is where we are.

"I think the organization itself has done a really good job... I don't ever want to single out a player, I don't ever want to point a finger at anybody, but I've been here for 10 years and I've been treated with nothing but respect and love my entire career."

Aiyuk, who is signed with the 49ers through the 2028 season, has not played for the team since suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2024.

The 49ers decided in summer 2025 to void Aiyuk's guaranteed money for the 2026 season.

The wide receiver has made multiple social media posts this offseason criticizing both the 49ers and the NFL Players' Association for how they have handled his contract.

Aiyuk has also made it clear in his social media posts he wants to be playing for the Washington Commanders. He most recently announced on his Instagram story he purchased bought a house near the Commanders' training facility in Virginia.

ESPN's Nick Wagoner recently reported the 49ers have no "hard deadline" to release or trade Aiyuk because he remains on the reserve/left squad list and so is not being paid, so the wide receiver's stalemate with the team could potentially stretch past Sunday's opening of training camp.