Few injuries are as damaging for a professional athlete as the Achilles tear, which can severely impact a player’s momentum on the field. The San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle suffered the injury last season. So when Kittle joined the Ross Tucker Podcast, he shared his thoughts on retirement.

“I love football, and my body will tell me when I can’t play anymore,” said Kittle. “My wife will tell me I look like s***, one or the other. I trust her word on that because she likes when I play football. I love it too much,h and I know I have got a lot of miles ahead at a high level.”

The 49ers reached the NFC Divisional Round before getting eliminated by the eventual Super Bowl winner, the Seattle Seahawks. However, their 2025 campaign was significantly impacted by injuries of key players, including the tight end, George Kittle, who was ruled out for the season after suffering an Achilles tear in the second quarter of the NFC Wild Card game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

After the medical checkup, it was confirmed that he has a clean tear, which will take about 9-12 months to regain full fitness. Although the 32-year-old is eyeing a return in Week 1 of the next season, the medical professionals anticipate Week 5 as a viable window for his return to action.

Picked in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Kittle has been part of the 49ers roster for nine seasons. Playing 11 regular-season games, he had a respectable campaign in 2025, recording 628 receiving yards and 57 receptions. However, in the two preceding seasons, he performed at an elite level, surpassing the 1000 receiving yards milestone in each campaign, while his reception numbers were in the nineties range.

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After healing from the injury, the 32-year-old would be determined to return to his peak condition. He still has the playing hunger after ruling out any retirement possibility. While Kittle experienced a serious injury, suffering an Achilles tear for the first time in his career, numerous NFL players dealt with the same type of injury before making remarkable returns to the gridiron.

NFL players who bounced back stronger after Achilles injuries

The veteran Aaron Rodgers is a shining example of making a successful return from the Achilles injury, defying concerns about his age. During his debut with the New York Jets, the ten-time Pro Bowler had a full rupture of his Achilles tendon in September 2023.

Although he made a swift recovery in the same season, the Jets were already out of the playoffs when he intended to come back, which was why he didn’t risk playing that season. Instead, the star quarterback made a strong comeback the next season (2024), playing all regular-season games and recording an impressive 3897 passing yards.

The former Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers tore his right Achilles tendon during training camp in July 2021. While his projected recovery time was 12 months, which would have caused him to miss the entire 2021 NFL campaign, he regained his full fitness in less than six months by going through SpeedBridge surgery.

Returning in Week 18, the RB remained a backup and eventually won the Super Bowl that season. The injury didn’t affect the 26-year-old’s career trajectory, as he is a key member of the Seattle Seahawks now, winning another Lombardi Trophy.

From MCL sprain and broken foot to calf strain and grade 3 hamstring strain, George Kittle isn’t unfamiliar with injuries. Considering many football players have successfully bounced back from Achilles injuries and rediscovered peak form, the 49ers tight end is expected to find his old rhythm next season.