George Kittle Injured, Updates on 49ers TE and Timeline to Return After Being Carted Off vs. Eagles

San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle suffered a torn Achilles during Sunday's Wild Card matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second quarter, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the team's 23-19 win.

Kittle had one catch for six yards before exiting.

His former teammate, Deebo Samuel, hated to see him leave the field:

Kittle, 32, missed six games this season, a recurrent theme for a San Francisco team rocked by injuries to a number of key players throughout the 2025 campaign.

Despite that, the team still went 12-5 and reached the postseason, where the defending Super Bowl champions awaited.

Kittle pulled down 57 passes for 628 yards and seven touchdowns when healthy this season. While it broke a two-year streak of 1,000-yard seasons, he remained a crucial playmaker for Brock Purdy when available.

Now there will be major questions about when, or whether, the seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro can play next season. Achilles tears have significant recovery timetables, putting a major chunk of Kittle's 2026 campaign in jeopardy.