The San Francisco 49ers are on a successful run with George Kittle and Brock Purdy in the passing attack. However, according to Claire Kittle, George’s wife, Purdy might be the best quarterback her husband has ever played with. That might come off as an insult to the quarterbacks who played with Kittle before Purdy took the QB1 crown.

“Just imagine if he had a consistent QB week to week for the first 5 years of his career lol,” Claire Kittle said on her IG story. “And somehow, it keeps getting better. Thankful to have Brock at the helm. This duo has a lot of records together. Let’s keep it rolling.”

She has solid proof to back her statement.

Brock Purdy and George Kittle have been a match made in heaven, according to PFF’s tracking data. With at least 75 targets, their 0.750 EPA per play is the best among QB-TE duos. They rank fourth among all QB-pass-catcher pairings, but what really stands out is how they have maintained that efficiency with a much bigger workload than the wide receiver duos ahead of them.

From 2022 to 2025, Purdy targeted Kittle 269 times, resulting in 3,035 receiving yards, 26 touchdowns, and a 139.7 passer rating when throwing his way. According to PFF, they are also one of only two QB-tight end pairings to make the top 15 all-time in EPA per play while reaching at least 75 targets.

But gaining this success wasn’t easy for Kittle. Since 2017, the 49ers have cycled past six quarterbacks who at least started four games for the team: Jimmy Garoppolo, C.J. Beathard, Nick Mullens, Brian Hoyer, Trey Lance, and Brock Purdy. Among them, C.J. Beathard gave George Kittle some early advantage because the two had already played together at Iowa. Kittle knew Beathard’s style and was comfortable catching passes from him. The tight end even called them a “great combo.”

George Kittle, however, did not express any concerns about not having a consistent quarterback.

“I’ve had a six-year career and I’ve had one year with one quarterback,” Kittle said in 2023, stopping the reporter before they could ask him the important question. “Other than that, I’ve had two or more. Four out of six (years), I’ve had three or more … I just love a plethora of quarterbacks to choose from.”

The situation was different in 2022 with Jimmy Garoppolo. Kittle had a solid start: 38 passes for 472 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games with Garoppolo as the starter. That worked out to about 47.2 receiving yards and 0.4 touchdowns per game. Then Garoppolo suffered a season-ending foot injury, opening the door for Brock Purdy to take over at quarterback.

The quarterback dilemma was troubling for San Francisco, after fielding two of the best in league history in Joe Montana and Steve Young. The former icon won four Super Bowls for San Francisco, while Young brought one more in 1994.

Since Purdy took over, he and Kittle developed a solid chemistry.

“It’s his team, and we all know that,” Kittle told Chris Simms on the latter’s podcast. “And he knows that, too. So we’re all just excited to help him, make his job as easy as possible.”

But the 2026 season can bring up some inconsistency. George Kittle suffered a torn right Achilles tendon during the 49ers’ NFC Wild Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles last season. He spent the offseason rehabbing and started training camp on the Active/PUP list.

The big step forward came on August 23, when San Francisco activated him from the list. Kittle returned in full pads and began individual work, showing that his recovery was moving in the right direction.

However, Kittle’s return is still up in the air for Week 1 against the Rams in Melbourne, as there’s no official confirmation.

Now, fans will have to wait and see whether one of the NFL’s most accomplished TE-QB duos, Kittle and Brock Purdy, will be back together when the season kicks off.