SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
San Francisco 49ers
George Kittle eases injury concerns by deadlifting a jaw-dropping 665 pounds
Marcus D. SmithUSA TODAY
July 17, 2026, 6:04 p.m. ET
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has made tremendous strides in his recovery from a torn Achilles he suffered in the 49ers’ NFC wild card victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
He has lofty goals of being available in Week 1 when San Francisco travels to Melbourne, Australia, to play the Los Angeles Rams in the first-ever regular-season game played in the country
During the workout, Kittle was shown inhaling smelling salts before he smashed a hex bar squat of 665 pounds in a training session with Josh Cuthbert
As he prepares for his 10th NFL season, Kittle appears poised and ready to strap up his pads and get back on the field. His workout video has fans speculating he will be available for Week 1, although neither Kittle nor the 49ers have confirmed that
He provided an unofficial update to his fans after posting a completed workout on his Instagram page
“Another great offseason,” Kittle captioned in an image posted to his Instagram story. “Appreciate the boys setting the standard at The Barn.”
Kittle took a trip to Panama with teammate Kyle Juszczyk, where both received a three-day StemCell Institute treatment
If San Francisco can get Kittle healthy come Week 1, it would be a huge boost for their team offensively. According to an ESPN survey, Kittle was named the third-best tight end in the NFL by executives, scouts and coaches
One NFC executive said that when healthy, Kittle is “the most versatile, dominant, complete tight end,” adding that he’s “still the gold standard” for blocking, running and catching
During the 2025 season, Kittle appeared in 11 games for the 49ers, tallying 57 catches on 69 targets for 628 yards and seven touchdowns. Kittle averaged 11 yards per catch
Throughout his nine NFL seasons, Kittle has compiled 595 catches on 802 targets for 8,008 yards and 52 touchdowns, while averaging 13.5 yards per catch in 124 games played
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