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George Kittle celebrates with Kyle Juszczyk after a touchdown during a game against the Dallas Cowboys on October 08, 2023.
On Monday, June 16, 2025, San Francisco 49ers superstar tight end George Kittle shared an Instagram story that brought smiles to the faces of many 49ers fans.
“Panama with the boys,” the post read, which depicted Kittle alongside 49ers FB Kyle Juszczyk and WR Ricky Pearsall, as well as Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson. The star offensive players were pictured on a golf course in the selfie.
Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk, and TJ Hockenson are chilling in Panama
Kittle and Juszczyk have been friends for several years, but seeing the other two players in the photo was really a nice surprise for the 49ers faithful.
Pearsall Bonding With Older Stars
It’s undoubtedly great for 49ers fans to see wide receiver Ricky Pearsall hanging out with Kittle and Juszczyk off the field.
With former 49ers WR Deebo Samuel now with the Washington Commanders and current 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk still on the injured list, 2024 first-round selection out of Florida Pearsall is the favorite to be the 49ers second starting wide receiver, alongside WR Jauan Jennings in the starting lineup.
Because of the injuries that Pearsall has experienced early in his NFL career, he has yet to establish himself as a consistent star for the 49ers, but he’s shown plenty of promise, and improved over the course of 2024.
During his last two weeks of the season, he recorded 14 catches for 210 yards and two touchdowns against the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals.
In addition to the development of team chemistry, which is always good for a football team, Pearsall’s bond with Kittle and Juscyzyk only bodes well for his development, as the two veterans are among the best pass catchers of all time at their respective positions. Mentorship is huge for a young player like Pearsall, who is only going into his second NFL season. If Kittle and Juszczyk take Pearsall under their wings and mentor him, that only makes it more likely that he develops into a star just like them.
And if he learns a thing or two about blocking from these beasts in the trenches, 49ers fans wouldn’t complain either!
Kittle and Hockenson Were Teammates in College
Don’t get it twisted, T.J. Hockenson’s inclusion in the group isn’t an indication that he will be suiting up in red and gold alongside his 49ers friends anytime soon.
Hockenson was likely invited along because he is good friends with Kittle, who he was teammates with in college at Iowa.
Kittle and Hockenson were members of the same tight end room at Iowa in 2016. That year, Hockenson redshirted while Kittle earned All Big-Ten honorable mention. Learning from Kittle likely helped Hockenson have a star career of his own at Iowa. Hockenson went on to win the 2018 John Mackey award as the top collegiate tight end in the nation.
But will the two players reunite as teammates in the NFL? Unlikely, given that they are both starting-caliber tight ends who will remain with their current teams until at least the 2026 season.
Even if not, they’ll continue to reunite on the golf course in the offseason for years to come.
Ethan Inman is a sports journalist covering the San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants and Las Vegas Raiders for Heavy sports. He also co-hosts a college football podcast for The Voice of College Football, and writes about the NBA and MLB. He has previously covered the USC Trojans, the NHL, college baseball, and the intersection of sports and popular culture for other publications. He is based in the greater Los Angeles area. More about Ethan Inman
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