49ers' Kittle undergoes successful surgery on torn Achilles, Shanahan says
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle underwent successful surgery on Wednesday, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Kittle tore his Achilles during the second quarter of the NFC Wild Card game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. He became the latest Niners star to have a season-ending injury.
Shanahan provided a positive update about his tight end at his press conference on Thursday.
"I heard it went great," he said. "He has a chance at coming back a lot sooner than we used to think back in the day with Achilles so it was all good news."
The initial estimate was that Kittle could miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season. Thursday's update from Shanahan seems like a quicker return is realistic.
Despite the injury, the 49ers locker room comic hasn't lost his sense of humor.
"He [Kittle] sent a funny picture of him after surgery to my wife," Shanahan said on Thursday. "Seemed like he was feeling pretty good, like most people are after surgery."
Ricky Pearsall added that he FaceTimed Kittle on Wednesday after his procedure.
"He was playing ARC Raiders, the new video game," Pearsall said. "He seems to be in good spirits right now. He sent some funny photos to me already, but he always does that so it's no surprise."
San Francisco will be without Kittle and Fred Warner for Saturday's game against the Seahawks. The Niners ruled Warner out on Thursday after the linebacker returned to the practice field this week.