The NFL and USAA announced Wednesday morning that 49ers tight end George Kittle received the 2024 Salute to Service Award for the first time in his career.

After being nominated four times and named a finalist for the past three years, Kittle’s commitment to honoring military service members, veterans and their families will be recognized at NFL Honors on Thursday in New Orleans, when he receives the 14th annual award.

“I am incredibly thankful and honored to be this year’s Salute to Service Award recipient,” Kittle said in a statement. “This is my fourth time being nominated by the 49ers, which is an absolute honor because it’s important to me to show gratitude and support to the military. My appreciation for the military stems from watching my Uncle Pat serve multiple tours with the National Guard and seeing firsthand how much it impacted him and his family while he was overseas.

“Without my family and their unwavering support, I would not be able to create these genuine and authentic relationships with the real heroes and the ones who should be receiving this award, the active-duty members, veterans, TAPS and families that have lost loved ones in the line of fire. The support you see for the military around the league is so important and the fact that guys on every team do it, not just the nominees, is awesome. We are allowed to live the lives we live here because of the sacrifices they make, so we’re just trying to honor them, show our support and share as much love as we can.”

Kittle and his family have hosted military veterans and active duty members of all military branches at every game for the past six seasons, donating over 400 tickets during that span. After games, win or lose, the tight end hosts a meet and greet where he builds personal friendships with the frontline heroes.

Kittle has donated over $250,000 to military non-profits, including the Pat Tillman Foundation, TAPS, Merging Vets and Players (MVP), Operation Freedom Paws and Operation Surf.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell congratulated and acknowledged Kittle’s efforts over his eight NFL seasons.

“George Kittle truly embodies the essence of the Salute to Service Award,” Goodell said in a statement. “His dedication to honoring service members and involvement with numerous military organizations makes him the perfect choice for this honor. The NFL family is proud of his dedication to give back to those who sacrifice for our country and congratulates him on this tremendous achievement.”

As the recipient of the Salute to Service award, USAA will contribute $25,000 in Kittle’s honor to the official aid societies representing each of the military branches. The NFL Foundation will match USAA’s donation of $25,000, which will be given to Kittle’s military charity of choice.

“It really started with the 2019 Super Bowl,” Kittle told NBC Sports Bay Area in December. “I was able to send a family from the T.A.P.S. organization, that I had met at the 2018 Pro Bowl, to the Super Bowl. That happened and then we were like, we should continue doing that because it’s such a fun opportunity.”

That was the family of fallen Army soldier Sgt. Martin LaMar, which Kittle continues to host at training camp while keeping Sgt. LaMar’s Purple Heart in his locker.

“George Kittle continues to show a deep and unwavering dedication to our service members, veterans and their families through his military appreciation efforts which go beyond gestures and truly reflect a heartfelt commitment to those who have served our nation,” Major General (Ret.) John Richardson, USAA Senior Vice President and Head of Military Affairs, said in a statement.

“Inspired by those in his own family who served, George has become a shining example for the NFL community of how to create lasting and genuine connections with our military, and we salute him as this year’s recipient of the Salute to Service Award presented by USAA.”

Kittle and his family also founded the Hidden Pearls Podcast in 2020 to amplify community stories, nearly 60 of which involve veterans. Inspired by these stories, he and his family created an app offering free mental health resources to veterans, including the meditative practices he uses while playing.

The 14th annual NFL Honors ceremony will air live Thursday at 6 p.m. PT on FOX, NFL Network and stream on NFL+.