![\"George](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/george-kittle-nil-money-advice-college-football-wealth.jpg\")
iStockphoto \/ \u00a9 Christine Tannous-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images \/ \u00a9 Reese Strickland-Imagn Images<\/p>\niStockphoto \/ \u00a9 Christine Tannous-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images \/ \u00a9 Reese Strickland-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
George Kittle did not get paid to play college football at the University of Iowa like the athletes today. He was drafted into the NFL four years before NIL was codified into law by the NCAA.<\/p>\n
However, the superstar tight end has made a lot of money with the San Francisco 49ers and very quickly learned how to manage it with the help of U.S. Bank.<\/p>\n
Kittle would like to share that advice with the next generation of NFL<\/a> athletes. He recently spoke about the current landscape of college football and the role of finance in his own life during an exclusive conversation with BroBible.<\/p>\n Name, Image and Likeness was first introduced in 2021 as a way for athletes to make money while still in school. They were finally allowed to profit from things like sponsored posts on social media, public appearances, and marketing campaigns. It was long overdue. There was just one problem.<\/p>\n The rules were vague, if not nonexistent, and the NCAA does not have enough power to enforce them.<\/p>\n As a result, NIL (and now the introduction of revenue share) has become pay-for-play. Schools are able to pay their athletes directly, as if they are professionals, without a salary cap or guidelines. And the \u201cNIL\u201d deals with \u201coutside parties\u201d are just a legal loophole to pay them even more money on top of what they are making from the school directly. Players are getting paid an absurd amount of money.<\/p>\n Take Riley Leonard and Will Howard, for example. The former Notre Dame and Ohio State quarterbacks made more money during their senior year of college than they will on their rookie contracts<\/a> in the NFL.<\/p>\n Carson Beck is another example. He made approximately $4 million at Miami last season for less than a full year of work. His first NFL contract with the Arizona Contract will pay him approximately $7.4 million over four years as a third-round pick. His annual salary from the 2025-26 college season is cut in half!<\/p>\n There are also players who made money in college, whatever amount that may be, that won\u2019t play on the next level. Others will only get to experience minicamp or training camp before they are cut.<\/p>\n George Kittle did not get NIL money!<\/p>\n The San Francisco 49ers drafted George Kittle with the No. 146 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, four years before NIL came to exist. He signed a four-year deal worth $2.69 million as a rookie but the money was contingent on whether or not he made the roster.<\/p>\n It obviously worked out for him! George and his wife Claire have built an incredible life<\/a> together.<\/p>\n Kittle caught more than 600 passes for ~8,500 yards and 50+ touchdowns in 124 games over the last nine seasons. The 49ers signed him to a new four-year contract worth $76.4 million with $40 million guaranteed in April 2025. He made a lot of money in the NFL. And that doesn\u2019t include endorsements!<\/p>\n![\"George](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/george-kittle-us-bank.jpg\")
U.S. Bank<\/p>\n