49ers tight end George Kittle and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce have a unique bond as the two top tight ends in the NFL. There’s no animosity between the two though, even as they gear up to play for the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday.
Kelce was asked about Kittle on Monday during Super Bowl Opening Night, and gave a glowing review of the First-Team All-Pro.
“George Kittle, man. I was just talking about his tenacity,” Kelce told NFL Network’s Deion Sanders. “How he runs routes. How he plays the game with a certain level of energy and enthusiasm, man you gotta love it. And there’s nothing you dislike about that guy’s game. Just trying to take it to the next level every single time he plays.”
This isn’t the first time the two have been neck-and-neck competing for something. They also jousted for the NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end during the 2018 season.
Kelce set the record with 1,336 yards during the final week of the season. Then just hours later, Kittle broke Kelce’s record with a 149-yard performance against the Rams that put him at 1,377 for the season.
Before the final game that year, Kelce sent Kittle an autographed, game-worn jersey as a sign of respect for the second-year tight end. This was just a couple weeks after the Chiefs tight end shouted out Kittle on Twitter for a monster performance against the Broncos in Week 15.
While there’s a deep mutual respect between the two players, that won’t be a factor when they face off for Super Bowl LIV, especially since one huge performance from one of the tight ends could be the difference in what’s sure to be a very competitive game.
