George Kittle: 3 reasons 49ers tight end gets back to All-Pro form in 2021

No. 2: George Kittle will have more consistent quarterbacking

It’s beginning to look more like the 49ers will roll into 2021 with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo under center despite all the speculation about a blockbuster offseason change. If a massive change does occur, however, there’s still room for one X-factor that’ll help George Kittle a lot.

Keep in mind, Kittle had to go through something similar to what happened in 2018: playing with three different quarterbacks over the course of the season. Granted, Kittle made it work back then, and his number splits from last year suggest it doesn’t necessarily matter who is quarterbacking for the Niners. Kittle will get his. It’s that simple.

At the same time, though, any receiving target benefits from consistency at the game’s most important position. As soon as Garoppolo went down multiple times with his ankle injuries, Kittle lost that consistency but still managed to make the best of it.

Still, it’s fair to wonder just how much bigger of an impact Kittle would have had if Garoppolo wasn’t injured. How would the tight end’s season have looked if backup quarterbacks Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard weren’t on the field missing throws and failing to feed San Francisco’s best offensive weapon.

Again, Kittle has thrived regardless who is under center. At the same time, though, getting consistent quarterback play only serves to benefit the tight end to the extreme.