George Kittle says he was THIS close to joining the Seahawks
By Josh Hill
George Kittle will go down as an iconic 49ers star, but history was almost re-written by a division rival.
There might not exist a more natural habitat for What-If-ism than sports.
Almost every single outcome in sports — whether it’s a game, a trade, a career, or something as gradual as a single at-bat — offers a portal into a wormhole of alternate realities.
What if the Blazers had drafted Michael Jordan. What if Barry Sanders had played for a better team. What if Babe Ruth played in the modern era?
You don’t have to explain this concept to Seattle Seahawks fans, though.
What if Pete Carroll had just given it to Marshawn Lynch?
The infamous Super Bowl blunder is so synonymous with the question that context isn’t required. But Seahawks fans have had more of these What-If moments than they maybe realize, as another pretty massive almost moment occurred two years later.
Seattle Seahawks tried to draft George Kittle in 2017
Yup.
Not quite as massive as the Super Bowl play, but Talk about a Sliding Doors moment in NFL history.
Imagine how different things would be if Russell Wilson had George Kittle in an offense with Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf. How would we be talking about the 49ers right now if they don’t have Kittle to anchor Kyle Shanahan’s offense?
Not only did the Seahawks try to draft Kittle back in 2017, according to the man himself the Seattle was trying to trade up to get him.
“It was probably a minute before the Niners called me, my agent says ‘the Seahawks are calling me say and they’re trading up to get you’,” Kittle said on Stacking The Box. “Then literally, I’m on the phone with him my agent, and I get a call from the Bay Area.”
Despite it being a moment of total draft chaos, Kittle’s agent said seven words that altered the 49ers fortunes.
“He’s like, ‘hang up on me and answer that’,” Kittle said. “And then I’m talking to John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan saying that they’re drafting and they’re excited to work with me.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
George Kittle spoke on behalf of Kingsford. Kittle teamed with T.J. Hockenson have teamed with America’s favorite wood-fired fuel for an all-out, no holds barred, battle royal to officially introduce Kingsford 100% Hardwood Pellets. Check out more here.