What George Kittle’s flight to Australia says about his Week 1 chances
· Yahoo Sports
The San Francisco 49ers flew to Melbourne on Wednesday, eight days ahead of their Sept. 10 opener against the Los Angeles Rams, and the departure forced a decision on George Kittle that Kyle Shanahan had been circling all week.
Ian Rapoport reported that Kittle made the trip after two positive days of practice and is trending in the right direction to play in the opener. Defensive end Nick Bosa, ramping up from a knee issue, also traveled.
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Kittle tore his right Achilles on Jan. 11 in San Francisco’s wild-card win at Philadelphia, going down after a six-yard catch. Activating him on Aug. 23 kept him off the reserve list that would have ruled him out through Week 4. Sept. 10 arrives one day short of eight months from the tear.
Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) looks on during warmups prior to an NFC Wild Card Round game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Kittle argued from the beginning that the timeline would move faster than usual, saying the tear happened higher up his leg, where blood flow aids recovery. Rapoport framed the attempt plainly on The Insiders this week, noting that most people had penciled Kittle in for an October return and that patience has never been part of how he rehabs.
TE George Kittle has reportedly traveled with the team to Australia, per @RapSheet
All signs are pointing to him playing in Week 1. pic.twitter.com/sUPwgBmxLz
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) September 2, 2026
What still has to happen before kickoff
Shanahan said on Monday that he wanted the question settled before the flight, both to spare Kittle a long trip he could not finish and to keep him near the training staff if the answer went the other way.
Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle before action against the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
“I think if we didn’t think he was going to play, and it was looking that way, I think it’d be much nicer to make that decision before we left, instead of having him go through all that,” Shanahan said. “It’s also a long time that we’re out there, so to be away from the team for a week, not for camaraderie or anything, but just the training staff and things like that, and being away from meetings, is also a big deal, too. But hopefully, these three days that we have, these three practices, will go the right way, and it’ll make it an easy decision to get him on the plane.”
Kittle still has to get through practices in Melbourne without a setback, and Shanahan has said the remaining risk sits in contact work. San Francisco and the Rams kick off Sept. 10.
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