Kittle thinks the Bears should trust Fields and build around him.
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LAS VEGAS — You wouldn’t think 49ers tight end George Kittle would have an opinion on the Bears, but he does. He was adamant Monday that they should keep quarterback Justin Fields and trade down from the No. 1 pick to acquire assets to build around him.
“Wow, this is putting me on the spot — all of Chicago is listening to this,” he said at Super Bowl Opening Night. “What the Bears should do is trade back as many picks as they can and build around a guy they’ve been trying to build around.
“Give the guy some actual options — he has options, but help him out as much as you possibly can. Build him up as big as you can and trust the kid.”
Kittle, who is from Madison, Wis., and grew up in Iowa, said he was a Bears fan as a kid.
The Bears could have had him, of course, but when they needed a tight end in 2017, former general manager Ryan Pace chose Adam Shaheen in the second round. The 49ers picked Kittle in the fifth at No. 147 overall, one spot ahead of the Bears in that round.
Shaheen has 50 catches for 509 yards and seven touchdowns in his career. Kittle has averaged 66 catches, 896 yards and five touchdowns over his seven-year career and has been an All-Pro twice.