The 49ers’ all-world tight end’s 2025 season ended with an unfortunate Achilles injury in the 49ers’ victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Wild Card weekend. The physicality George Kittle plays with is almost unmatched, and he is undoubtedly the offense’s identity leader. Kittle ruptured his Achilles in January, but there have been whispers about a potential Week 1 return for the tight end.
Kyle Shanahan addressed the possibility when asked by Rich Eisen today.
Eisen: Do we see him Week 1? What do you think?
Shanahan: I know there’s a chance to. I know he’s working his butt off to do it. I don’t wanna say he’s on track. I think that’s what he’s shooting for. I don’t put anything past Kittle. He works as hard as anyone.
The 49ers head coach continued with a comparison to Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, who suffered the same injury in the playoffs last season and returned pretty quickly.
“ I just keep telling Kittle, Jayson Tatum got hurt in the playoffs, and he’s looking pretty damn good right now. Let’s try to do something like that, and I know Kittle will. Kittle’s too impressive of a talent and too impressive of a person, so can’t wait to get him back.”
It is hard to speculate on how quickly someone can bounce back from a devastating injury such as an Achilles tear, but there is optimism about Kittle’s ability to heal more quickly and return to his All-Pro form.
Shanahan also talked about Kittle’s evolution from his rookie season to year two and how his personality came to the forefront in year two.
“ Kittle, I think, has always been him, but when Kittle came in this league, he didn’t show his personality like he started to in year two. That’s all I’ll say. Year one, he had no wristbands, no tattoos, a dorky haircut. He wasn’t Kittle yet.”
After telling a story about his rookie year and refusing to admit he was injured, and Shanahan having to explain how different the NFL is from what he was taught in Pop Warner and other levels about never disclosing injuries, he closed with this about the tight end: “ I think once he got comfortable and realized he could be himself, we’ve gotten himself every year since and that’s been nine cool years.”
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