George Kittle and Deebo Samuel shared space in the 49ers offense for the last six seasons and the partnership was a successful one for most of that run, but there won’t be a seventh year together.
Samuel was traded to the Commanders earlier this offseason while Kittle signed an extension that sets him up to be at tight end for the 49ers through the 2029 season. During [an appearance](https://youtu.be/aCEu7419kPg) on _Bussin’ With the Boys_, Kittle said that he is going to miss Samuel but also knows that the wide receiver was looking to play out the rest of his career somewhere else.
“I’m happy for him that [he went to](https://www.49erswebzone.com/articles/192018-george-kittle-samuels-talented-teammate/) Washington,” Kittle said, via 49ersWebzone.com. “Guys need a fresh start sometimes, and he wanted a fresh start, and so, I’m very happy for him. I’m sad that I don’t have him on my team anymore because I just loved having him around the locker room and stuff like that. But I’m happy for him.”
With Brandon Aiyuk still recovering from a torn ACL, the 49ers will likely look Kittle’s way a lot in the early part of the season as they learn which receivers are worthy of stepping into the open spots in the lineup.