San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle says he wants to be a stay-at-home dad when his playing days are over, saying it would “be a dream come true.”
Many people would think that playing in the NFL for nine years, making the Pro Bowl nine times, and making over $80 million ($153 million if he finishes out his current contract) would be living a dream. And while George Kittle believes he has been “very fortunate” to play in the NFL for so long, being a stay-at-home dad when he is done would be the cherry on top.
“At this point in my career, I’ve been very fortunate to play for 10 years,” Kittle told People. “And when you start in the league, your only goal is like, ‘I want to make a team, so I can play in the NFL,’ ” he continued.
“And then once you’ve made a team now it’s like, ‘I want to establish myself as a good player. I want to make a second contract.’ And then it’s like once you’ve made that second contract, it’s, ‘How much longer can I play? Can I get another contract?'”
George Kittle knows his dream job after he finishes playing
“I’m definitely not a rookie anymore. There is a finish line at some point. I’m not going to play forever,” Kittle explained. “And it’s like, ‘Okay, well, how can I set myself up financially and have a plan as to where, when I’m done playing, if I don’t want to, I don’t have to work again.
“When we have kids, and I want to be a stay-at-home dad, and that’s what I want to be able to do every day. And because I’ve been so fortunate to play in the NFL for 10 years, that’s kind of the plan that we’ve had set. And so, if I can do that, that’d be a dream come true.”
George Kittle’s wife Claire appears to support him in his post-playing career goal
“He’s living out his dream, right?” Claire Kittle said in the same interview, adding, “I want him to be as successful as possible for when he hangs up the cleats one day… and then transition into that retirement a little bit easier.”
Kittle, who has caught 595 passes for 8,008 yards and 52 touchdowns during his career, all with the 49ers, suffered a pretty serious Achilles injury during the team’s Wild Card playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The injury may keep him out of the lineup at the start of the season. However, Kittle, who will be 33 in October, isn’t completely ruling out being ready for week one.
“Achilles is doing great,” Kittle recently told CNBC. “We’re 13 weeks out of surgery. I think I’m ahead of schedule. My surgeon’s super happy with it. So, we’re on track to play a lot of football next season. So, I’m in a great place.”