Tight end George Kittle remains confident that he will be ready for Week 1, when the San Francisco 49ers travel to Melbourne, Australia, to face the Los Angeles Rams.

Nothing is certain, though, and Kittle isn't committing to being suited up for that international matchup just yet. However, even if he doesn't play in the season opener, he doesn't expect to start the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, which would require him to miss at least the first four games.


On Sunday, Kittle was directly asked how confident he is that he won't begin the season on the PUP list.

"Very confident," Kittle said before providing an estimated timeframe for his return, adding, "Sooner than later."

Kittle is making remarkable progress in his recovery from the Achilles injury he suffered in the 49ers' playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles last season. Initially, a Week 1 return seemed overly optimistic. However, the tight end is well ahead of schedule in his recovery, and suiting up alongside his teammates in Australia now seems like a realistic possibility.

"Like I've said, I have a chance," Kittle commented. "We're running around a lot, hitting top speeds. Hopefully, we're back in pads, practicing sooner than later. Just trying to check the boxes and not be a dumbass, is what I would say."

Kittle confirmed he has a timeline for returning to practice but declined to share the details, so we'll just have to wait to see.


The All-Pro tight end described his Achilles recovery as "the most boring rehab in the world." Still, he has diligently followed the instructions of his surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, and his physical therapy team to ensure a successful recovery.

"When ElAttrache told me that I had a chance to play Week 1 as long as I did everything I was supposed to do, it was pretty easy to light a fire every single day," Kittle said. "But yes, it is the most boring rehab in the entire world. It's how many seated calf raises and standing calf raises can you do in a day, basically for 18 weeks. And then I got to start walking and running again, which is a little bit more exciting."

Kittle added that he is hitting all of his recovery goals, including his GPS benchmarks, which track his running speed. Now, it's a matter of getting back into football shape, making a return to practice sooner rather than later particularly important.

"To build back up your physical callus of playing football, you just got to play football," Kittle said. "That's why, hopefully, I'm in pads sooner than later, because I don't want my first time to be in pads traveling to Australia, because I just don't think that'd be a very smart idea.

"So, these next couple of weeks are everything, and that will let me know if I'm ready to play Week 1 or not."


Kittle plans to be smart about his return, though. If playing in Week 1 seems at all risky, he is more than willing to sit out the game. He knows it's a long season and wants to do what's best to ensure he remains available through to the end.

"I'm just going to keep that as my goal, and then we'll adjust from there if we need to," Kittle said. "But I still believe that, my team still believes that, my surgeon still believes I have a chance. So, just keep attacking it."

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