Exclusive: 49ers TE George Kittle Opens Up On Tough Moments During Achilles Rehab

Interesting to hear.

Nov 8, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle’s Achilles injury was one of the offseason’s biggest storylines.

People questioned whether he’d be back for Week 1 and whether he’d ever return to operating at the peak of his powers. Suffering an Achilles injury at 32, with his 33rd birthday approaching, was far from ideal at this stage of his career.

Regardless of what he went on to produce on the field, even though he's played at an incredible standard so far, an injury rehab as gruelling as his meant months of hard work to get back on track. Kittle reflected on some of the toughest moments in an interview with 49ers on SI’s Henry Cheal, pinpointing a few that stood out.

 "Honestly, the first challenge I experienced was on my very first day back home after surgery," Kittle stated.

"I was still taking painkillers, and I tried to walk up a flight of stairs but almost fell back down them. That was my first really difficult day, and I realised I couldn't even walk upstairs normally.

"In terms of rehabilitation, another difficult stage was when the cast first came off. There were no more painkillers, and I was just dealing with all the aches and pains.

"I remember they cut my cast off, and I immediately started doing marble pickups and some strength exercises. I was straight out of the cast and already doing those exercises. It was painful, and I remember thinking, "This is terrible!"

"That pain lasts for a while. Eventually, it starts to ease, your body gets used to things again, and the process becomes much more straightforward."

Oct 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) runs after a catch against the Atlanta Falcons during the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kittle added that having things to look forward to and future plans in place helped motivate him to get back on track.

"I think the second big challenge was learning to trust myself to walk again," he explained.

"I was following a fairly fast rehabilitation plan because, when I tore my Achilles, I had a trip to Bandon Dunes planned with my friends to play golf. There were around 14 of us going, and I thought, 'Well, I can't miss that!'

"So my main goal was to be walking by the time the trip came around, and thankfully, I managed to do it. I literally came off crutches just two days before we went.

"But trusting myself to walk that much was really strange. You just don't trust yourself, and you feel like you're going to fall over.

"Once I got through that, though, it gave me a lot more confidence. Learning to walk again was definitely a struggle."