The San Francisco 49ers have been blessed with one of the best tight ends in history in George Kittle for the last eight years. Years and years of being one of the league's best have put Kittle on the verge of NFL history on several fronts entering the 2025 season.
Not only is Kittle explosive in the passing game, but he's graded out as one of the league's best run blockers at the position throughout his career.
That's why his absence after exiting the game against the Seattle Seahawks with a hamstring injury is so concerning, and head coach Kyle Shanahan already told reporters the initial prognosis is "a few weeks."
Few tight ends can do what Kittle does for an offense, and the Niners are ill-equipped to handle a prolonged absence from the six-time Pro Bowler, as the drop-off to Luke Farrell and Jake Tonges is steep.
With that said, there are a few free-agent tight ends floating around still whom San Francisco could call. None of these guys will completely replace Kittle on their own, but they would bring some skills and experience that, in conjunction with Farrell and Tonges, could help bridge some of the gap.
If the 49ers want receiving upside, they should call Gerald Everett
Although Gerald Everett, age 31, is coming off a season in which he only notched eight catches for 36 yards, he can still have an impact as a receiving threat in the NFL.
Playing in Chicago with the Bears last year, Everett took a back seat to Cole Kmet and instead played just 22 percent of the offensive snaps while splitting time with blocking specialist Marcedes Lewis in the No. 2 tight end role. Chicago had a particularly dysfunctional offense, averaging a league-worst 284.6 yards per game, with then-rookie Caleb Williams under center who did Everett no favors, either.
2024 aside, Everett has experience in a starting role and put together two of the best seasons of his career in 2022 and 2023 with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he posted 58 catches for 555 yards and 51 catches for 411 yards, respectively.
Everett possesses great speed at the tight end position, so while he's probably a bit slower than the 4.62 40-yard time he posted at the combine, he can still stretch the field. The trade-off is that he has a thin frame and has been a pretty atrocious run blocker throughout his career.
With all that said, he's still the best receiving-first option available on the open market.
Jordan Akins is another reliable pair of hands 49ers should consider
Much of what was said about Everett can also apply to Jordan Akins. A late-bloomer, Akins was already 26 years old in his rookie season back in 2018 with the Houston Texans. He'd spend five years in Houston, followed by two more in Cleveland with the Browns, developing a reputation as a field-stretcher from the tight end spot with a career 11.1 yards per reception.
Akins' best seasons have been some of his most recent. 2022 saw him post career bests with 495 receiving yards and five touchdowns, and 2024 saw him set a personal best with 40 catches.
Like Everett, Akins is also slightly undersized for the position and leaves a lot ot be desired as a blocker. That might not be the worst thing in the world with Farrell holding up well in that area, but it should be clear that Akins wouldn't be able to be counted on in all situations.
Marcedes Lewis is the best blocking option by far
Lewis is something of an ageless wonder. Drafted in the first round of the 2006 draft, the 41-year-old is currently unemployed but has stated he wants to play for a 20th season and retire after the 2025 season.
While the first two options on this list are undersized pass-first tight ends, the mountainous Lewis functions more as a sixth offensive lineman than a traditional tight end at this point in his career.
With that said, Lewis was once a potent receiver in his younger days, and at the very least, possesses reliable hands if targeted as a check-down option.
A Lewis-Farrell-Tonges tight end room would leave a lot to be desired from a pass-catching perspective, but it would help cover for what the 49ers are losing in the run game with Kittle on the shelf.
A Lewis signing would probably work best in conjunction with another player on this list, but even as an NFL senior citizen, he can still provide a near-elite skill that, while not flashy, still has value.