Kyle Shanahan said George Kittle has a chance to return for Week 1, but he stopped short of putting the 49ers tight end on a firm timeline after the Achilles injury that ended his 2025 season. Shanahan said Kittle is working hard to get back, and that the team captain is now shooting for an opening-week return.
“I know there’s a chance to,” Shanahan said on Thursday in a conversation with Rich Eisen. “I know he’s working his butt off to do it. I don’t wanna say he’s on track. I think that’s what he’s shooting for.” Kittle ruptured his Achilles in January, finishing the 49ers’ 2025 season in their victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Wild Card weekend, and the possibility of having him back by Week 1 has already started to circulate around the team.
The timing matters because Kittle is not just another injured starter. He has long been the offense’s identity leader and one of the league’s most valuable tight ends, and Shanahan made clear he still sees him as a central figure when healthy. The coach said Kittle has been one of the most impressive talents and people on the team, and added that his personality only started to come through more in year two after a first season in which he showed up with no wristbands, no tattoos and a dorky haircut.
Shanahan then linked Kittle’s rehab to another high-profile comeback, using Jayson Tatum as the example. “I just keep telling Kittle, Jayson Tatum got hurt in the playoffs, and he’s looking pretty damn good right now. Let’s try to do something like that, and I know Kittle will. Kittle’s too impressive of a talent and too impressive of a person, so can’t wait to get him back,” Shanahan said. Tatum suffered the same injury in the playoffs last season and returned quickly enough to become the reference point Shanahan reached for now.
That comparison, and the fact that Shanahan would not quite call Kittle “on track,” leaves the 49ers with hope but no promise. The best read from his comments is simple: Week 1 is a target, not a conclusion, and the next update will likely come only when Kittle’s recovery turns from possibility into something the team is willing to declare out loud.