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George Kittle breaks NFL record to close out 2018 season

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

In the last game of the 2018 season, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle set a new NFL record.

Kittle finished the campaign with 1,377 receiving yards, the highest single-season total for a tight end in league history. The previous record was held by Rob Gronkowski, who had 1,327 yards in 2012. Travis Kelce also had a big year, tallying 1,336 receiving yards.

This was Kittle’s second season in the NFL.

Kittle needed a huge performance to break the league record, and he did exactly that. In the season finale against the Rams, the tight end caught nine passes for 149 yards and a touchdown.

In just two years, Kittle has quickly become one of the top tight ends in the NFL.

While at Iowa, Kittle was known more as a blocker than a pass-catcher, but he’s quickly changed that narrative at the professional ranks. As a Hawkeye, Kittle had 48 receptions for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns in four years.

Kittle was a Pro Bowl selection this season.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB