Pro Football Rumors
When George Kittle tore his Achilles in January, he was expected to miss the first two months of the regular season. But the star tight end has attacked his rehab with zeal, putting him ahead of schedule and putting a Week 1 return firmly in play, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic.
Kittle, 32, has dealt with injuries in virtually every year of his career, but 2025 featured his worst set since an eight-game 2020 campaign that was shortened by an MCL sprain and a foot fracture. The nine-year veteran first tore his hamstring in Week 1, sidelining him for five games, before tearing two ankle ligaments in Week 16 and hurting his Achilles in a wild card loss to the Eagles.
A clean tear offered some early hope that Kittle could speed through his recovery and be back on the field early in the regular season. But a Week 1 matchup in Australia offers another wrinkle that could make it harder to play right away.
“It’s crazy, because we were talking November for his return at first,” 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk said recently (via Tafur). “But he has been working really hard, and his speed is way up in the drills that he does, and I think there is a real chance he is back for the opener in Australia.”
Kittle said on the Pardon My Take podcast that he is running up to 16 miles per hour with cutting and single-leg box jumps now added to his training. That is excellent progress just over six months removed from an Achilles tear, but the 49ers would be well-advised to take a cautious approach. Kittle has a lengthy injury history, a physical play style, and a gut-it-out mentality that makes him hard to get off the field even if hurt. Last year is a prime example. Despite the torn ligaments in his left ankle, he sat for only one game before returning to the field. Later, he admitted that compensating for that injury contributed to the torn Achilles in his right leg. It would be best to let him heal up fully before throwing him full-speed into regular-season action, especially if he does not have a long ramp-up period during training camp.
