The San Francisco 49ers battled through plenty of injuries during the 2025 season. San Francisco deserves credit for making it to the Divisional Round in the playoffs with such a battered roster. The 49ers are confident that one injured player will be just fine in 2026.
49ers general manager John Lynch said on Wednesday that the team expects tight end George Kittle to have a “big impact” next season, per David Lombardi of The SF Standard.
Kittle tore his Achilles early in San Francisco’s Wild Card win against Philadelphia. That puts him on the long road to recovery before the 2026 season.
It is nice to hear that Lynch and the rest of the organization is optimistic about Kittle’s return from injury. However, it feels much too early to make any definitive statements about Kittle’s availability next season.
Achilles tears can take at least six months to fully heal. However, they often require even more recovery time for player to get back to high-intensity work.
There’s also the fact that NFL players explain it takes time to regain completely confidence after recovering from such a major injury.
But the way Kittle describes the situation, it is easy to have some optimism.
Kittle declared that his Achilles tear was the best-case scenario on Monday. He explained that his injury was up high towards the soleus muscle.
“I had a clean tear. They didn’t have to drill into my heel. And where the repair was was where there’s more blood flow. So it takes some time off the recovery time,” Kittle said.
Kittle added that Dr. Neal ElAttrache’s assessment is giving him a positive outlook before the offseason.
“My recovery — when I’ll be running, when I’ll be ready to go play again — he’s very excited about it,” Kittle said. “So that puts me in a really good mood. It’s not as bad as other ones.”
San Francisco will need Kittle to get back to full strength quickly next season. Brandon Aiyuk’s time with the 49ers is likely over and the team does not have much depth at receiver.
That will make Kittle an important piece in the offense once again in 2026 and beyond.
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