George Kittle’s season is over after he suffered a heartbreaking Achilles injury in the first half of the 49ers’ Wild Card playoff against the Eagles.
In a huge blow for the San Francisco 49ers, the tight end suffered the non-contact injury at Lincoln Financial Field and was immediately carted off with a trainer.
It took just a few minutes for the team to confirm it was an Achilles injury, ruling him out for the rest of the postseason and throwing his 2026 plans into turmoil too. Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers head coach, confirmed after the game that it was tear which means Kittle will need surgery.
The incident occurred as he made a five-yard catch, his first of the night, with six minutes left to play in the first half in Philadelphia.
The 32-year-old joins a long list of superstar players to have suffered the horrifying injury over the past couple of years, including Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Daniel Jones, Deshaun Watson and Najee Harris among others.
As he was being carted off, he applauded the crowd and urged his team to continue without him, but the injury will come as a huge blow to a player that has already struggled with injuries over the past few years.
George Kittle suffered an Achilles tear in the first half of the 49ers’ playoff game in Philadelphia
Kittle was carted off the field after suffering the heartbreaking season-ending injury
In Week 1 of the season, he suffered a grade three hamstring tear that forced him to miss five games of the Niners’ campaign, and then he picked up a left ankle sprain in December that ruled him out of another game.
Last season he also missed Weeks 3 and 11 with a recurring thigh injury.
Kittle is a key part of both the run and pass game for the 49ers and his absence will come as a huge blow in their quest to reach the Super Bowl this season.
Since being drafted in 2017, Kittle has played his entire career in San Francisco. He is a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro.
