Tucker Kraft Says He Studied George Kittle’s Tape While Rehabbing ACL, Pitched Ideas to Matt LaFleur
Tucker Kraft couldn’t play football for most of the past nine months. So he watched it instead — closely.
The Green Bay Packers tight end tore his ACL in Week 9 of the 2025 season and spent the ensuing months rehabbing, unable to suit up. According to ClutchPoints, Kraft used that downtime to study tape of other tight ends around the league, looking for anything he could steal for his own game while he couldn’t physically play.
One name kept coming up: George Kittle.
Kraft broke down what he picked up from watching the San Francisco 49ers star during a sit-down with Kay Adams of Up & Adams, who visited Packers training camp this week. Speaking on the connection between Green Bay’s offense and Kyle Shanahan’s system in San Francisco, Kraft explained why Kittle’s tape was such useful film study.
“Our offense is exceptionally close to Shanahan, that’s really where the branch comes from. Get a lot of exposure in San Fran. I like to pick up a lot of the stuff George does and show it my head coach and be like, ‘Hey, can I get this done for me?’ Matt will do a lot for you if you have that belief in yourself and you can make sure it comes to light. He’s going to give you that opportunity and trust you. But you got to come through for him.”
Kraft posted on X: “In his time off from injury, which TEs has Tucker Kraft watched the most tape on? 49ers’ George Kittle & Bills’ Jackson Hawes” —
In his time off from injury, which TEs has Tucker Kraft watched the most tape on?
49ers' George Kittle & Bills' Jackson Hawes 📽️@packers | @TuckerKraft | @heykayadams | @gkittle46 | @12hawes12 pic.twitter.com/KwXNF0SSft
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) August 5, 2026
The Kittle comparison isn’t new for Kraft. Both are physical, versatile tight ends who block well and create after the catch, and both play under head coaches who share a coaching tree — LaFleur worked under Shanahan before taking over in Green Bay in 2019. That shared background is exactly what Kraft is pointing to when he talks about pulling concepts from San Francisco’s offense and pitching them to his own staff.
What Kraft Brings Back to a Packers Offense That Needs Him
Green Bay is easing Kraft back in. He was activated off the Physically Unable to Perform list in the days before the Kay Adams interview and has started with individual drills, a gradual process the team has been open about since he first tore the ACL. But the production he’s chasing is real, and it’s the reason his voice carries weight in scheme conversations with LaFleur.
In eight games before the injury last season, Kraft caught 32 passes for 489 yards and six touchdowns. The year before that, he set career highs with 50 catches for 707 yards and seven touchdowns, establishing himself as one of the more productive tight ends in the league heading into a contract extension window.
| Season | Games | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 17 | 50 | 707 | 7 |
| 2025 (injured Week 9) | 8 | 32 | 489 | 6 |
Kittle, for comparison, is one of the highest-paid tight ends in football and a two-time First-Team All-Pro, built on the same blend of blocking and after-the-catch production Kraft is trying to add to his own game.
What makes the comparison more than just style is the offense itself. LaFleur’s scheme traces back to the same coaching lineage as Shanahan’s in San Francisco, which means the concepts Kraft studies on Kittle’s tape are often directly transferable rather than something he has to translate from a completely different system. That’s the practical piece behind Kraft’s comment about bringing ideas to LaFleur — he’s not asking his coach to install something foreign, he’s asking him to adapt something the offense is already built to run.
The Trust Kraft Says He Has to Earn
Kraft was clear that pitching ideas only works if he backs it up. “Matt will do a lot for you if you have that belief in yourself,” he said, framing it as a two-way arrangement — LaFleur opens the door, but Kraft has to produce once he’s through it.
That dynamic will be tested quickly once Kraft is fully cleared. Green Bay is working through Kraft’s return timeline carefully, and the team has not put a hard target on his season debut. If LaFleur does lean into some of what Kraft picked up watching Kittle, it could show up in how the Packers deploy him in space once he’s back to full speed.
