George Kittle Injury Rehab, Return Timeline Updated by 49ers' John Lynch After Achilles Rupture

There's a chance San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle could return from his Achilles injury in time for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season, general manager John Lynch said Saturday on NFL Network.

"He's going to be ready at some point, if not for the first game," Lynch said, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Kittle suffered a torn right Achilles tendon during the 49ers' Wild Card matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles on Jan. 11.

He said shortly after undergoing surgery in January that his return could take place "well before November," per ESPN's Nick Wagoner.

"Surgery went really, really good," Kittle said in January, per Wagoner. [Surgeon 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."

Kittle, who missed six regular-season games after suffering a Week 1 hamstring injury, finished the campaign with 628 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns in 11 games.

The tight end suffered his injury on a tackle from Eagles linebacker Zack Baun in the second quarter of the 49ers' Wild Card win. He underwent surgery three days later on Jan. 14.

Kittle told reporter Mike Hlas for his Substack in April his rehab from the injury had been "actually pretty straightforward."

After using crutches to get around for "10 or 11 weeks" Kittle told Hlas he had returned to walking unaided by the beginning of April.

"You either do standing calf raises or seated calf raises until you can run and walk and stuff," Kittle told Hlas. "So I'm walking. I got off of crutches a couple weeks ago. We're back on a golf course. Everything's trending in the right direction. It's going great."

Kittle isn't the only 49ers star the team is hoping to have back for the start of the 2026 campaign after injuries late last season.

Brock Purdy said earlier this week the injured toe that limited him during the playoffs "feels great," while linebacker Fred Warner said in April he has "no restrictions" after recovering from the season-ending right ankle injury he suffered in October.