"I was playing with cracked ribs, and then that just fractured them completely," Kittle told Kay Adams in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl LIX. "It was super fun. I had a great time."
Kittle wasn't the only one hurt in that game. Linebacker Fred Warner suffered a fractured ankle against the Patriots but played through the injury for the rest of the season, appearing in all 17 games.
"It was a simple [fracture] ... a simple ankle sprain that happened to pull the bone," Warner explained this week. "And it's just one of those nagging things, because injuries, it's like, they're either bad enough to keep you off the field or just good enough so you can keep playing. So it was one of those things where I was good enough to just keep playing and try to work through it."
Injuries plagued the 49ers' 2024 season. The team finished with a 6-11 record and missed the playoffs. Kittle and the team hope the extra offseason rest will lead to a stronger 2025 campaign.
The tight end was also grateful to finally finish a season without needing to recover from an injury.
"I'm very happy that I made it out of the season healthy," Kittle said. "I made it out of the Pro Bowl healthy. I don't have to get surgery this year. And we're gonna roll right into a great year."
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
Loss of George Kittle latest heartbreaker in 49ers' injury-plagued season
Just how much must San Francisco 49ers fans endure this season? The sight of All-Pro tight end George Kittle making a catch, going down near the sideline, and immediately grabbing his leg was the latest gut punch for the 49ers in what has been a brutal, injury-plagued 2025... -
49ers Notebook: Demarcus Robinson's monster game; Trent Williams risks injury for his team; George Kittle's post-injury tequila
There haven't been many playoff wins that have been more satisfying than Sunday's 23-19 road victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, which sent the defending Super Bowl champions into the offseason and sent an aggressive fan base home unhappy. The last postseason trip to Lincoln... -
49ers vs. Eagles injury updates: George Kittle suffers Achilles injury
The San Francisco 49ers are facing the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in a Wild Card playoff game. Below are the latest in-game injury updates for the 49ers. This article will be updated in real time as new information becomes available. Players are listed in... -
49ers rally around George Kittle in playoff win over Eagles: 'We're going to play for him the rest of the way'
The San Francisco 49ers could have let George Kittle's second-quarter injury derail their Wild Card playoff matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Instead, they rallied around their All-Pro tight end, fought through adversity, and pulled off a 23-19 road upset to...