George Kittle sees a lucrative life after the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers’ tight end has aspirations of becoming a WWE superstar once his football journey ends.
Kittle’s professional wrestling fandom is well-documented. The six-time Pro Bowler has appeared on WWE programming in recent years. Kittle helped Pat McAfee beat The Miz at WrestleMania 39. More recently, Kittle and real-life friend Penta celebrated together in a Monday Night Raw ring. In a new interview, Kittle expressed interest in eventually transitioning from the gridiron to the squared circle.
“I would love to do WWE,” Kittle told the “Bussin’ with the Boys” podcast. “I think there’s definitely an opportunity within that world, and I would love nothing more than to be a part of it.”
Kittle wants ample time to make the transition, seeking to have a professional wrestling career as lauded as McAfee’s. The retired punter is generally recognized as one of the more impressive celebrities to crossover to wrestling.
“My only question mark with that is I so much love being a fan of WWE, I would only do WWE if I bought a ring and practiced my ass off for a long time,” Kittle said. “So I wouldn’t look like an idiot out there.
“I’ve been in a WWE ring like three times. I don’t know what I’m doing out there. I have an understanding of how it works, but I haven’t moonsaulted off the top rope at WrestleMania like Pat McAfee did.”
Kittle’s wrestling ambitions do not signal the end of his football career. Kittle, 31, is signed to the 49ers through the 2029 season with no desire to hang it up.
“Literally, [I’m going to play] until I don’t have fun anymore,” Kittle said. “Or if [wife] Claire looks at me and goes, ‘You kinda look like shit out there; you should retire.’ I’ll be like, ‘All right.’
“I don’t know. I think if I get to 35, and it hurts to put pants on in the morning, I think I’ll be like, ‘Ah, this isn’t that much fun anymore,’ and I’ll have a conversation with myself. But I’m feeling great right now.”