George Kittle is holding on to hope that he will be ready to go by Week 1 of the 2026 NFL regular season.
The San Francisco 49ers tight end is still working his way back to game-ready form several months after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in a wild-card game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
He sustained that injury in January, and the typical recovery timeline is around 9-12 months.
Even then, Kittle has enough confidence to believe that he can beat that window and be on the field when the 49ers face the Los Angeles Rams in a Week 1 game in Australia on Sept. 10.
“I have a chance,” Kittle said, via Josh Dubow of the Associated Press. “We’re running around a lot, hitting top speeds. Hopefully we’re back in pads practicing sooner than later. Just trying to check the boxes and not be (dumb) is what I would say.”
If Kittle is to appear on the field against the Rams, he believes what happens in practice this week will be telling of his outlook.
“Hopefully I’m in pads sooner than later, because I don’t want my first time to be in pads traveling in Australia,” he added. “Because I just don’t think that’d be a very smart idea. These next couple of weeks that will let me know if I’m ready to play Week 1 or not.”
Kittle is hardly the only notable 49er dealing with health concerns as the season draws closer. Ricky Pearsall, Nick Bosa and Christian McCaffrey are some of the other San Francisco players currently on the mend.
If Kittle gets ultimately sidelined for Week 1, the earliest the 32-year-old star can make his 2026 debut will be in Week 2’s game against the Miami Dolphins at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
