The San Francisco 49ers‘ offseason is underway after their elimination from the playoffs after losing 41-6 in the divisional round to the Seattle Seahawks. One of the main storylines for the Niners heading into the 2026 NFL season will be the recovery of George Kittle.
Kittle suffered a torn Achilles tendon injury during the 49ers’ wild-card win over the Philadelphia Eagles. It was another blow for San Francisco, who couldn’t escape the injury bug all season to their top and even depth players.
On Jan. 19, Kittle spoke with the media and shared the latest regarding his recovery, as the veteran will likely do his best to be ready for Week 1 later this year.
“Overall, I’m fantastic,” Kittle said (h/t 95.7 The Game). “Surgeon went really, really well. The surgeon was incredibly happy with it. A little background into it: He said, ‘Best-case scenario when you tear an Achilles is that you tear it up high by your soleus,’ which is what I did. I had a clean tear. I didn’t have to drill into my heel. Where the repair was is where there was more blood flow.
“It takes some time off the recovery time. He’s very excited about everything—my recovery, when I’ll be running, when I’ll be ready to play again. He’s very excited about it. That puts me in a really good mood. It’s not as bad as the other ones, so just excited about that.”
49ers’ George Kittle Confirms Tequila Story
Moreover, Kittle also confirmed the tequila story, noting that he had the alcoholic drink in the locker room once the 49ers star knew he tore his Achilles tendon.
“My first response to that is, ‘Can I get Jed fined? What’s the question? Can I get Jed fined by talking about tequila?’ I would stop,” Kittle added (h/t 95.7 The Game). “Yeah, it happened. Had a great time.”
If the 49ers pursue a tight end either in the draft or free agency, perhaps it will allow them to take their time with Kittle and not rush him for Week 1 to ensure that the player is fully healthy once he’s ready to go for the 2026 season.
49ers Need to Address Injury Woes This Offseason
Injuries have been a major storyline for the 49ers for a while. As a result, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones is urging San Francisco to find the root of the problem and address it as injuries have held this team back.
“The Niners have to figure out how to get healthier,” Jones said during a Jan. 17 appearance on CBS Sports HQ. “This continues to happen to them time and again because if you look at it, if they can stay moderately healthy, average health, they will make the playoffs every year. They will make noise in the playoffs. I can go on, and we could talk about how they need another wide receiver, and they do.
“They need some depth on the defense and certainly they could use some pass rush and some corner help. There’s no doubt that if they ran it back with the team that they have and even lose the free agents that they’re going to have, if they could stay healthy, 75 to 80 percent healthy, they’re in the NFC Championship game. I absolutely mean that. But instead, they can’t.”
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