When a player goes down with a torn Achilles late in the season, it’s usually a gut punch - not just for the team, but for the player’s future. The recovery is long, the rehab is grueling, and the timeline is often murky at best. But in George Kittle’s case, there’s a real sense of optimism coming out of San Francisco - and it’s not just blind hope.
Kittle suffered the injury during the playoffs, a brutal blow for one of the 49ers’ emotional and physical leaders. But according to general manager John Lynch, the early signs post-surgery have been encouraging.
“Right out of surgery, Dr. [Neal] ElAttrache called and just went into great detail as to why it was a real success,” Lynch told reporters.
“The outcome was really good, and there's a lot of reason to be optimistic where the tear was and such.”
That optimism isn’t just lip service. Dr.
ElAttrache is one of the most trusted names in sports medicine - the kind of surgeon elite athletes turn to when their careers are hanging in the balance. In Kittle’s case, the location of the tear offers a silver lining.
As Kittle explained earlier this week, “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 is where there is more blood flow, so it takes some time off of the recovery time.”
Translation: this isn’t your typical Achilles tear. The higher location and clean nature of the injury could make a meaningful difference in how quickly - and how fully - Kittle returns.
And if you know anything about George Kittle, you know he’s not the type to coast through rehab. Lynch made it clear that Kittle’s already attacking the recovery process with the same energy he brings to the field.
“He’s already been around our team with that infectious personality,” Lynch said. “George was down for a little bit, but he’s already flipped the switch to recover.
George will attack it in a great way. We’re very hopeful to have him back.”
That hope isn’t just based on Kittle’s mindset - it’s also rooted in how far sports medicine has come. Lynch, who played safety in the NFL during an era when an Achilles tear could derail a career, pointed out just how much has changed.
“I remember when I first started playing, you had an Achilles and everybody’s like - ‘Oh man, that’s tough, you’re never the same.’ That’s not the case anymore,” he said.
“They’ve gotten much better at the surgeries. They’ve gotten much better and more aggressive in the rehab and how quickly you get after it.
And I think that will be the case for George.”
Kittle, now 32, wrapped up the 2025 season with 628 receiving yards on 69 receptions. It wasn’t his most explosive statistical year, but context matters.
He missed five of the first six games due to a hamstring issue and sat out Week 17 with an ankle sprain. All told, he missed six games - the most he’s been sidelined in a season since 2020.
Still, when healthy, Kittle remains one of the most impactful tight ends in the game - a tone-setter in the run game and a mismatch nightmare in the passing attack. The 49ers know what he brings, and they’re banking on his recovery going smoothly.
“We expect to have him back next year and [be] a big impact like he always has been for us,” Lynch said.
If that happens - and all signs right now suggest it’s possible - the 49ers won’t just be getting a player back. They’ll be getting a leader, a spark plug, and one of the toughest matchups in football.