San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is carted off the field after an injury during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is carted off the field after an injury during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
SANTA CLARA — George Kittle’s expedited comeback from an Achilles tear just passed a significant marker Sunday.
The 49ers activated Kittle off the Physically Unable to Perform list. Had he remained with that injury designation into the start of the season, then he would have been ineligible to play in at least the first four games.
Now the question remains whether Kittle will be OK’d to play in the regular-season opener, and the complicating part of that scenario is a 16-hour flight to Australia (and the return trip) to face the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne on Sept. 10 (5:35 p.m. PT).
Kittle is only 221 days removed from surgery to repair the right Achilles that ruptured early in the 49ers’ wild-card playoff win at Philadelphia.
Check back for more on this developing story.