George Kittle has hilarious response to Kyle Shanahan quote

George Kittle knows how to turn something into a joke, and the 49ers tight end’s response to Kyle Shanahan’s provocative Monday quote was brilliant.

Leave it to San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle to lighten the mood.

The Niners held their pre-2021 NFL Draft press conference on Monday featuring general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. And while much of the media questions focused on the team’s high-profile No. 3 overall pick, specifically which quarterback San Francisco was zeroing in on, Shanahan was pressed about the future of his current starting signal-caller, Jimmy Garoppolo.

Despite Shanahan and Lynch previously offering up a commitment to Jimmy G heading into 2021 despite the recent trade, Shanahan’s recent comments when asked whether or not Garoppolo would be on the roster following the draft were telling:

"I can’t guarantee that anybody in the world will be alive Sunday, so I can’t guarantee who will be on our roster come Sunday. So that goes for all of us."

John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan Pre-Draft Press Conference

With all eyes on the 49ers and the #3 overall pick in the 2021 Draft, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan meet with the media to discuss the pre-Draft process. #NFLDraft: 4/29-5/1 on NFL Network | Draft-A-Thon on NFL

Posted by San Francisco 49ers on Monday, April 26, 2021

The seriousness of the quote is telling enough. If Garoppolo was still fully in Shanahan’s plans for 2021, he easily could have said so. Even if Shanahan was veiling his true intentions for the quarterback, a simple “he’s still our guy until we determine otherwise” statement would have been just fine.

In response, however, Kittle sure knew how to make light of an otherwise awkward situation and did so via Twitter not long after the presser concluded:

“I’ll call you on Sunday to let you know I’m alive coach,” Kittle tweeted.

Pretty entertaining.

George Kittle has been one of Jimmy Garoppolo’s biggest supporters

Despite all the quarterbacking controversy that has surrounded the Niners seemingly all offseason, Kittle has remained steadfast in his support of Garoppolo.

The two have developed a close relationship, highlighted by the “bromance” they shared late in 2019 and into the playoffs in 2020, which included both Kittle and Garoppolo exchanging tee shirts of each other.

At the same time, Kittle surely understands the desire of his head coach to get better and more consistent at the position, particularly in the wake of Garoppolo missing the bulk of two of the last three seasons because of injuries.

And if whichever quarterback San Francisco selects in the draft on April 29 winds up becoming just as productive as Garoppolo, if not more so, one has to assume Kittle will be just as happy.

At least Kittle isn’t shying away from having some humor during what’s already a challenging situation for the 49ers before the draft.