George Kittle says Achilles rehab is 'trending in the right direction'

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle sounds like he feels pretty good about his Achilles injury recovery.

Only a few months removed from tearing his Achilles in the playoffs, Kittletold told Mike Hlas of the "Out of Bounds" Substack that his recovery is "trending in the right direction" and that he's already back on the golf course without crutches.

“The rehab is actually pretty straightforward,” Kittle said. “You either do standing calf raises or seated calf raises until you can run and walk and stuff. 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 and the 49ers say they're eyeing a Week 1 return for the star, but it remains to be seen if they can deliver on that promise in less than five months. History is mixed on Achilles recoveries, with some taking less a year to come back to the field and some taking longer.

While Kittle acknowledged his history of injuries, he noted that he's returned quickly during his NFL career.

“I’ve had a buttload of injuries and things you have to deal with,” Kittle said. “But you know, fortunately, I’ve only had to get surgery twice in the NFL, because they’re not very fun. I bounce back pretty quickly. I’ve got a great rehab team around me, a great strength coach around me, and I’m very big in all the recovery stuff, too.

“I got back from Panama last week. I was down there for four days doing stem cell treatment. I’ve been doing stem cells twice a year in Panama for the last six years. We have a good group that goes down there. We go down there for stem cells, and then we golf the entire time, because they have beautiful golf courses.”

The 49ers would love to have Kittle back as soon as possible, but they've prepared for a potential absence. Not only did they sign Mike Evans and , but also . He had a breakout year for the 49ers with 34 receptions for 293 yards and five touchdowns in 2025.