At 10:05 p.m. on Dec. 31, George Kittle sent out a simple tweet.
"Sup? @AB84," the late-night tweet read, aimed at disgruntled Steelers receiver Antonio Brown.
The 49ers tight end officially had started the campaign to recruit the Brown to the 49ers.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Now, a new part of the story has come to light. It wasn't all Kittle's doing.
"You know what, Jimmy G dared me that I wouldn't do it, so I said 'You know what, I will do it.' And that's all it was," Kittle said Thursday on The Jim Rome Show.
Brown is feuding with the Steelers organization and wants out. Owner Art Rooney II has said the team won't release the All-Pro receiver, but a trade is on the table.
Brown and Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice have been openly campaigning for a trade to the 49ers. Nothing can happen until the new league year begins in mid-March.
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
"[Antonio Brown] is a fantastic player," Kittle told Rome. "Anything that happens with players in the offseason, that's on Coach Shanahan and Mr. Lynch and whatever decisions they make, I'm standing behind them."
[RELATED: Rice vows to mentor Brown]
If the 49ers were able to acquire Brown, he'd form a dynamic duo with Kittle. The two players combined for 192 receptions, 2,674 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns this past season.
Now we can see why Garoppolo is pushing for the 49ers to add Brown.
