The San Francisco 49ers’ fate this NFL season could have been entirely different, but injuries—many of them severe—derailed those plans. One of the biggest blows was to star tight end George Kittle, who is now generating buzz as a potential candidate to return to the field sooner than expected.
Kittle tore his Achilles on January 11, an injury that typically requires a lengthy recovery and would likely delay his return until late in the year. However, based on his recent comments, there is growing optimism that he could make it back onto the field sooner than initially expected.
“Surgery went really, really good,” Kittle said, via ESPN. “[Dr. Neal ElAttrache] 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. They didn’t have to drill into my heel. And where the repair was there’s more blood flow. And so it takes some time off of the recovery time… It’s not as bad as other ones.“
The injury, suffered during the Wild Card Round matchup against the Eagles, was extremely serious, and the player himself revealed that he immediately knew the situation was severe the moment it happened.
“I knew exactly when it happened, it felt like someone put a shotgun up against my calf and pulled the trigger,” Kittle said. “The second it happened, I knew exactly what it was… Unfortunate, but football’s tough sometimes.”
How long does it take to recover from a torn ACL?
For high-performance athletes, the recovery timeline for an ACL tear typically spans between 9 and 12 months. While some elite competitors may attempt a return to the field within 6 to 8 months due to advanced rehabilitation protocols, experts generally recommend waiting at least 9 months to ensure biological graft maturity and to minimize the high risk of reinjury.
Time to reset for the San Francisco 49ers
Heading into the 2026 season, the San Francisco 49ers are laser-focused on durability after an injury-plagued campaign that sidelined cornerstone players. The team’s primary goal is to ensure that stars such as Brock Purdy, Nick Bosa or George Kittle can maintain their health throughout the year.
Alongside this rehabilitation effort, the front office is shifting its attention to the 2026 NFL Draft, where the Niners hold the 27th overall pick. With a roster that remains championship-caliber when healthy, the 49ers aim to use the draft to bolster their depth, particularly on the offensive line and in the pass rush, to better protect their stars and build a more resilient squad for another Super Bowl run.