49ers GM John Lynch has almost unbelievable update on TE George Kittle

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch had an almost unbelievable update on tight end George Kittle on Sunday.

Lynch while speaking with reporters said there's optimism Kittle will not only return for the 2026 season, but that he could be ready for Week 1.

According to ESPN's Nick Wagoner, Lynch said Kittle is progressing well through his rehab and that Lynch is "hopeful" the veteran tight end will be able to play in the team's season opener against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 10 in Melbourne, Australia.

When Kittle went down with a torn Achilles in the 49ers' wild card playoff victory over the Philadelphia Eagles it appeared the superstar TE would be gone for most, if not all, of the following year. However, Lynch's update is in line with one Kittle gave at the team's locker cleanout following their season-ending defeat to the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional playoffs in mid-January.

"A little background into it," Kittle said at locker cleanout, "(The surgeon) said, 'best-case scenario when you tear an Achilles is that you tear it up high by your soleus,' which is what I did. Had a clean tear. They didn't have to drill into my heel, and where the repair was is where there's more blood flow. And so it takes some time off the recovery time."

The Athletic's Matt Barrows followed that up a month later with a report that indicated Kittle could be back early in 2026.

"I don’t think Kittle’s Achilles tendon tear will keep him out for all of or even most of next season," Barrows wrote in mid-February. "In fact, he’s aiming to be back by Week 1 (though that seems less likely if the team opens the season with a 16-hour flight to Australia)."

Even if Kittle isn't ready for the season-opener, there appears to be optimism building through the offseason that the star TE will be back early in the year. Given Kittle's outsized importance to the 49ers' offense, getting him back at all was going to be important for their championship hopes. Now it appears he'll be back early enough that he'll be able to knock some rust off and get back in playing shape in time to be as effective as possible for a playoff run in January.

Kittle finished last season with 57 receptions for 628 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 regular season games.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers injury news: George Kittle could return Week 1 per John Lynch