SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Despite tearing his right Achilles tendon on Jan. 11, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle said he is optimistic he could return to the field sooner than expected next season.
As the 49ers cleaned out their lockers Monday, Kittle spoke to the media for the first time since the injury, explaining that it was the "best-case scenario" because of where the tear occurred and how clean it was.
Asked if there was a timeline for his return, Kittle initially said he'd "keep it as a surprise." but he later scoffed when asked by a reporter whether his return would be around midseason and said it could happen "well before November."
Dr. Neal ElAttrache did the surgery on Kittle's Achilles last week in Los Angeles.
"Surgery went really, really good," Kittle said. "[ElAttrache] said best-case scenario when you tear an Achilles is that you tear it up high by your soleus, which is what I did. I had a clean tear. They didn't have to drill into my heel. And where the repair was there's more blood flow. And so it takes some time off of the recovery time... It's not as bad as other ones."
When the injury happened in the first half against the Eagles, Kittle said a member of Philadelphia's athletic training staff came over and asked what he needed. His immediate response? A cart.
"I knew exactly when it happened, it felt like someone put a shotgun up against my calf and pulled the trigger," Kittle said. "The second it happened, I knew exactly what it was... Unfortunate, but football's tough sometimes."
Whether it's from injury, free agency or potential trade, Kittle's situation isn't the only possible return the 49ers are monitoring this offseason. Starting quarterback Brock Purdy will work to strengthen his right big toe, linebacker Fred Warner's rehab from a broken and dislocated right ankle will continue, quarterback Mac Jones is a candidate to be traded and receiver Jauan Jennings headlines San Francisco's list of pending unrestricted free agents.
Purdy missed eight games this season because of a variant of turf toe in his right big toe. He returned in Week 11 and was able to finish the season without issue. He said Monday he will not need any further operations on the toe.
"[The] toe is good to go," Purdy said. "Obviously, I'll continue to strengthen it and give it some rest and whatnot too, but it's good."
Jones, meanwhile, enters an offseason that comes with more uncertainty. Stepping in for Purdy for those eight games, Jones kept the 49ers in the playoff mix as they went 5-3 in games he started. He posted a 62.9 QBR (ninth in the NFL) and threw for 13 touchdowns and six interceptions while throwing for 268.9 yards per game in his starts.
That production came after posting QBRs of 38.4, 37.5 and 36.6 in his three previous seasons split between the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars. While Jones has another season left on the two-year contract he signed with the 49ers in March and says he'd be just fine sticking around for another year, he's aware that his production in Purdy's place could make him a sought-after candidate for quarterback-needy teams in the trade market.
"It was just so fun to get, as I say, the train back on the tracks and that's what I wanted to do," Jones said. "I put a lot of good film out there... Had a lot of fun and excited for what's next. And I don't know, I'm on a two-year deal, but I do believe I'm a starter in this league and I'm excited for continuing to get better this offseason and see what happens."
Jennings will have far more say in the next step in his career. He missed most of training camp as he battled a hamstring injury and sought a lucrative contract extension from the Niners. He ultimately played the season out after getting some sweeteners added but also played through shoulder, ankle and rib injuries as he finished with 55 receptions for 643 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns.
If the 49ers and Jennings can't reach agreement on a new deal before March, he would become an unrestricted free agent for the first time. And though the Niners figure to have plenty of need at receiver, there's a chance Jennings won't be back.
That possibility was made clear as Jennings got emotional talking about what his six seasons in San Francisco mean to him on Monday afternoon.
"It means everything," Jennings said. "It's nothing like Santa Clara. First flew in here, I was thinking I was going to San Francisco just like everybody else. And you find out fast it's Santa Clara. Now it's home. It quickly turned into home and a run I'll never forget for sure."
Like Kittle, another Niner who will be back in 2026 is Warner. His attempt to speed up his recovery from the devastating ankle injury he suffered in Week 6 came up just short after the 49ers lost to Seattle on Saturday night.
Now, Warner can pump the brakes and enjoy a more traditional rehab process.
"No extra surgeries are needed," Warner said. "I think my rehab had gotten obviously super accelerated to try to make the NFC Championship Game. Now, I just get to kind of slow things down and really just work on all the little things that I didn't get to work on before all this happened. It's just business as usual."
