San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle suffered an Achilles injury in the wild-card round and, after undergoing surgery in recent days, is currently under a strict no-exercise restriction.
At 32, Kittle said being away from football has been difficult. While he’s eager to begin training, he’s encouraged by the positive feedback he’s received from doctors.
“Surgery went really good. The surgeon was incredibly happy with it,” Kittle told reporters Monday.
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Kittle said his surgeon believes there is reason for optimism when it comes to his recovery timeline.
“He said best case scenario when you tear an Achilles is you tear it up high by your soleus, which is what I did,” Kittle said. “I had a clean tear. They didn’t have to drill into my heel. And where the repair was there is more blood flow. It takes some time off the recovery time.”
Achilles tendon injuries typically require six to 12 months of recovery. The 49ers were eliminated in last weekend’s divisional round, and the 2026 regular season is set to begin in September. When asked about a potential return timeline, Kittle kept his answer vague.
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“I’ll keep it as a surprise,” he said. “You guys can find out later.”
Kittle said he immediately knew the injury was a tear, though he acknowledged it could have been worse.
“It felt like someone put a shotgun up against my calf and pulled the trigger.,” he said. “The second it happened, I knew exactly what it was.”
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