George Kittle is a ‘WWE rock star’ after the NFL has evolved, according to Kyle Shanahan – NBC Sports Bay Area and California

SANTA CLARA — The Dallas Cowboys were already down in the count.

Then, like Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka from the top rope, 49ers tight end George Kittle finished it off with the final offense.

In the moments following the 49ers’ final touchdown in a 42-10 win at Levi’s Stadium, Kittle lifted his jersey to reveal an undershirt that read “Fk Dallas.”

Oh.

Kittle will undoubtedly hear from the NFL and see that money has been deducted from his salary. His actions certainly didn’t win him any friends in Dallas either.

What does 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan think about that?

“Not much,” Shanahan said. “Just Keitel… WWE stuff… entertainment. Not much really. Just smiled at her.”

It was certainly Kittle’s night. He caught three touchdown passes — the most of his seven-year career.

With the game in hand, Kittle paid tribute to former 49ers linebacker Gary Plummer, who was wearing an almost identical undershirt made for the 1994 NFC Championship game against the Cowboys.

Of course, on Sunday night, Kittle couldn’t have lifted his shirt without people taking notice.

He has become such a famous figure that his every move on the field is followed, watched and photographed.

Yes, he’s come a long way since entering the NFL into virtual obscurity.

Kittle was a fifth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He was the ninth tight end selected after a college career at Iowa State that consisted of 25 games over four seasons with 48 catches (total), 737 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“We were very excited for him in camp,” Shanahan said. “We thought he had a chance to be a really good tight end. He had some injuries but he battled through everything and we didn’t know how special he was. But we knew we had a steal right away.”

Shanahan recalls that Kittle was clean and mostly in those days.

“It’s funny, you go back and watch his film from freshman year and he didn’t have a ponytail, the socks were pulled up perfectly, and there were no wristbands,” Shanahan said. “You watch him now and he’s one of the rock stars in WWE.

“So it was fun to be with him all the time.”

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