Late in the first half of the 49ers wild-card matchup with the Eagles, tight end George Kittle went down with a non-contact injury and was carted off the field. Instant replays of the injury made speculation all but certain, and the team confirmed shortly after, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, that Kittle had officially torn his Achilles tendon. 
Kittle’s 2025 campaign was already a difficult one as he dealt with multiple injuries, and as it comes to an early end, that end threatens to ruin his 2026 season, as well. Coming fresh off a four-year, $76.4MM offseason extension, Kittle hit the ground running in the team’s season opener, quickly scoring San Francisco’s first touchdown of the year. In the third quarter of the game, though, Kittle left with a hamstring injury and would miss the next five games on injured reserve with hamstring injury.
Upon being activated from IR in Week 7, Kittle quickly returned to form, really catching fire from Week 10 on. His momentum hit a slight speed bump when an ankle injury disrupted a dominant performance in Indianapolis and forced him to sit out the 49ers penultimate game of the regular season. He was able to return for a Week 18 home loss to the Seahawks and looked primed to help his offense into the postseason.
Despite all the hardship he’s worked through this year, today’s soft tissue injury is the worst news he could’ve heard all season. Not only because Achilles tendon tears can take between nine months and a full year to recover, but also because the injury has come at nearly the latest possible point of the season.
Now, there are exceptions to the rule. There’s the famous Aaron Rodgers example, in which the former Jets quarterback attempted to return from the same injury after only three months. He was successfully activated from IR within the 18 weeks of the regular season, but New York held him out and did not let him return to the field that year. More recently, the Ravens saw safety Ar’Darius Washington tear his Achilles tendon in May. He, too, set his sights on a late-season return and was activated from IR seven months later.
If Kittle can replicate Washington’s recovery timeline, there’s a chance he may be able to return sometime during training camp and be available for the season opener. Otherwise, Kittle is likely to open the 2026 NFL season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list and could miss the first month or so of next year. At the moment, though, it’s disappointment for San Francisco, whose 2025 campaign is not yet over. Injuries have defined this season for the 49ers, and Kittle’s torn Achilles is just the latest on the list for this resilient team.