49ers' George Kittle aiming for Aussie opener in Achilles rehab

SANTA CLARA – No greater 49ers mystery exists between now and the season opener than whether George Kittle can play.

Australia, here he comes?

He's trying. He’s stacking g'days, if you will.

He's literally counting them up – both ahead to that matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne (Sept. 10, 5:35 p.m. PT) and backward to his Achilles repair exactly 20 weeks ago.

"Realistic? Yeah, at this point," Kittle said Wednesday, after his biggest post-operation running session. "Even when I had the surgery and (Dr. Neal) ElAttrache told me, ‘Hey if you do everything the right way, you have a chance.' It definitely ignites something and makes you push for it. So we're on track, we're ahead of schedule."

His Achilles tear, which occurred early in the 49ers' Jan. 11 wild-card playoff upset in Philadelphia that ousted the defending Super Bowl-champion Eagles, was not typical, even beyond Kittle drowning his temporary sorrows with tequila in the visiting locker room.

Because Kittle's Achilles ruptured higher up the calf, his repair did not require holes being drilled into his heel. That element fast-tracks his potential comeback, whereas most repairs take almost a year, such as the 10-month return of linebacker Dre Greenlaw with the 2024 49ers and that of Boston Celtics star Jason Tatum this spring.

Kittle, near his ideal playing weight, has rehabilitated on a side field throughout organized team activities.

Could an overseas opener in Australia adversely impact his comeback? The 49ers plan to arrive a week ahead of kickoff – with a flight time estimated at 16 hours each way.

Because the 49ers abd Rams play on the NFL's first Thursday Night Football game, that shortens Kittle's runway.

"Four days early and a 16-hour flight — just another challenge, that's all it is," Kittle said.

He may be a veteran business traveler with the 49ers who has also spanned the globe amid offseason adventures, but not even he is sure how his body might respond to extended flights, even in a lay-down seat.

"Couldn't tell you. I've never done it," Kittle said. "I just know we fly so much — our average flight is five or six hours — so it is what it is. We're going to work. It's an awesome opportunity to play in Australia."

It will be the NFL's first-ever regular-season game in Australia, although the Denver Broncos under then-coach Mike Shanahan played the San Diego Chargers in Sydney in a 1999 exhibition.

"It will be really fun playing at home (the next three games) if we win. That's our goal," Kittle said of the three-game homestand after Australia. "To play over there in front of an awesome crowd, huge stadium, 110,000 people. It sounds sick to me. Might as well just take advantage of it."

Wednesday was a milestone moment of sorts. He did single-leg hops and 20- to 30-yard jogs, "which is pretty fun – the get-offs and starts," Kittle said. "Most I've ran and we're 19 weeks to the day."

Actually, his surgery was 20 weeks earlier by ElAttrache, the Rams' orthopedic surgeon, who has done some of the biggest procedures on 49ers' stars over recent years.

"It was my first major injury of my career," Kittle, a 10th-year veteran, said while knocking on wood. "I missed one game, it sucks, was a playoff game (the 49ers lost at Seattle), but there's an opportunity to play Week 1 and not miss the first half of the season. … It's been a pretty easy mental process."

Coach Kyle Shanahan said last week of Kittle: "He is on track and very positive and happy every day like Kittle is and doing good. Kittle works his tail off and he’s extremely talented and gifted, so he’ll do it as fast as you can."

Kittle has already contributed mightily to the 49ers' 2026 efforts, having successfully sold wide receiver Mike Evans on signing in free agency.

"Every day I see Mike, I say, ‘Wow, Mike Evans is here.' I think I'm annoying him at this point," Kittle said. "I pinch myself every day."

To frame how big an addition Evans might be to the offense, Kittle referred to recent 49ers history, without the intent of disparaging the likes of Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings and others.

"If you look back at the 49ers, this is like the first legit veteran wide receiver I've had on my roster since Emmanuel Sanders in 2019, in my opinion," Kittle said. "Nothing against all the other veteran receivers I've had but he's a Hall of Famer who is a first-team All-Pro, Pro Bowl guy. He's an incredible wide receiver.

"Just to see him run routes and the way he sees things, it's just so fun."

While Kittle gets back up to full speed and rather relies so much again on running back Christian McCaffrey's receiving ability, the 49ers added beyond Evans by signing Christian Kirk and drafting De'Zhaun Stribling.

A year ago, the 49ers' roster — especially the defense — got razed. This year's changes uplifted Kittle and others.

"Last year was definitely different. It had a lot of randomness," Kittle said. "But somehow we won 13 games with like half of our team and that's a testament to our team and the foundation we've built as leaders."

Kittle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, the 49ers' longest-tenured active players, were tabbed as "Captains of the Bay" ambassadors by the Bay Area Host Committee ahead of this year's Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup games at Levi's Stadium.

Now three weeks into jogging on his full body weight, Kittle is looking forward to getting cleared for football movements — run blocking, pass protection, route running, and rust knocking off.

As for the World Cup games coming to his and the 49ers' home turf: "I'll be in Nashville. You guys have fun in the Bay."

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This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 5:16 AM.