SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle shared some encouraging news about his injury, stating that doctors described his ruptured Achilles tendon as a “best-case scenario.” This gives hope that he might return to the field without missing much time next season.

Kittle suffered the injury during a wild-card win over Philadelphia on January 11 and underwent surgery last week in Los Angeles. He explained that Dr. Neal ElAttrache told him he had a “clean tear” near his soleus muscle, which is located higher up on the Achilles tendon.

“They didn’t have to drill into my heel,” Kittle said Monday. “Where the repair was, there’s more blood flow so it takes some time off the recovery time. So he’s very excited about everything. My recovery — when I’ll be running, when I’ll be ready to go play again — he’s very excited about it. So that puts me in a really good mood. It’s not as bad as other ones.”

Despite the positive outlook, Kittle chose not to provide a specific timeline for his return, saying, “I’ll keep it a surprise.” However, a return in eight to nine months could potentially get him back on the field near the start of the 2026 season.

Kittle described the moment he realized how serious the injury was, saying it “felt like someone put a shotgun up against my calf and pulled the trigger.” He added that he immediately knew he needed medical attention. The Eagles trainer who was first on the field to check on him helped him get a cart and took him back to the locker room. There, he was joined by his family, as well as Niners owner Jed York, who brought a bottle of tequila for his star player.

“Getting his support was absolutely fantastic,” Kittle said. “Just the fact that the team owner comes down to come give his condolences to you, and just like stays there for you, just really means what kind of place this is, and the people that are in this building. And it makes me really happy to be a Niner.”

Kittle is a two-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler who plays a crucial role in San Francisco’s offense as both a passing threat and a blocker in the run game. This season, he recorded 57 catches for 628 yards receiving and seven touchdowns.

The Niners struggled offensively in his absence last week, losing 41-6 to Seattle in the divisional round.

Injury Updates

There were several other injury updates shared on locker cleanout day:

• Fred Warner, the star linebacker, mentioned that he was ready to return if the team had advanced to the NFC title game. However, now that the season has ended, he will take a more gradual approach to his rehabilitation, allowing himself more time to heal.

“I think my rehab had gotten obviously super accelerated to try to make the NFC championship game,” Warner said. “Now, I just get to kind of slow things down and really just work on all the little things that I didn’t get to work on before all this happened. It’s just business as usual.”

• Mykel Williams, the rookie defensive end, who tore his ACL in Week 9, reported that his rehabilitation is going well. He hopes to be ready for the season opener.

• Brock Purdy, the quarterback, stated that he won’t need any special treatment for his turf toe injury, which kept him out of action for eight games during the season.

“The toe is good to go,” Purdy said. “Obviously, I’ll continue to strengthen it and give it some rest and whatnot. But it’s good.”

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