George Kittle Injury Update, Return Timeline for 49ers After Opening Camp on PUP List

While George Kittle remains optimistic about his chances of being ready to play at the start of the regular season, the San Francisco 49ers are taking things slow with their star tight end at the start of training camp.

Per ESPN's Nick Wagoner, Kittle is among four Niners players who will open camp on the physically unable to perform list as he continues to rehab his Achilles injury.

Kittle tore his Achilles in the second quarter of San Francisco's playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Jan. 11 and underwent surgery three days later.

Despite the severity of the injury, Kittle has said because it was a clean tear located higher up in the tendon that the surgery wasn't as invasive and could reduce his recovery time.

Kittle said on Chris Simms' podcast when asked about his rehab and the possibility of playing in Week 1 that he "really" likes his chances of being able to do so even though he's "definitely not 100 percent" right now.

The seven-time Pro Bowler also told Simms he has started running routes again within the last couple of weeks.

Typical recovery time for a torn Achilles is eight to 10 months to return to football activity and a minimum of nine months to play in games.

It will be almost exactly eight months to the day from the time Kittle suffered the injury to San Francisco's opening game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 10 in Melbourne, Australia.

Since entering the NFL in 2017, Kittle has only missed the 49ers' regular-season opener once. He was unable to play in the first two weeks of the 2022 season due to a groin injury.

The 49ers did add pass-catching help in the offseason by signing Mike Evans if they have to play without Kittle for a period of time at the start of the season. They are also loaded with playmakers on offense, including Christian McCaffrey, Ricky Pearsall and rookie De'Zhaun Stribling.

Jake Tonges would likely slot in as the starting tight end if Kittle misses Week 1. He had 34 catches for 293 yards and five touchdowns in 2025 after being targeted just once in 20 games over his first three NFL seasons.

Kittle finished tied for second on the 49ers with seven receiving touchdowns and third with 628 receiving yards in 11 games last season.