​49ers tight end george kittle in recovery achillesIn a little more than two weeks, the San Francisco 49ers will board their flight to Melbourne, Australia, for a season opener almost exactly eight months since George Kittle tore his Achilles.Their star tight end hopes to have a seat on that plane.“I still believe that. My team still believes that. My surgeon still believes that I have a chance,” he said Sunday, making his first media availability since training camp began.It was astonishing when Kittle set the goal not to miss a regular-season game after he went down in the Niners’ wild card win over the Eagles this past January. Even more so now, seven months into the rehab process, as Kittle inches closer to that bold goalpost.But he’s not there yet.George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers speaks with the media after a team OTA practice at SAP Performance Facility on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in Santa Clara, CA. (Icon Sportswire) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images“These next couple weeks are everything,” Kittle said. “That’ll let me know if I’m ready to play Week 1 or not.”The recovery for an Achilles tear is typically around 9-12 months. Kittle is well ahead of schedule, by all indications. That was the term he used in an appearance this weekend on SiriusXM Radio. On Sunday, he said he was “hitting top speeds” while running.But he remains on the Physically Unable to Perform List and still hasn’t put on pads.He’s been limited to individual work so far in training camp.If he’s going to play Week 1, he said that needs to change sooner rather than later.George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers walks on the field before a preseason NFL game against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. (Icon Sportswire) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images“I don’t want my first time in pads to be traveling to Australia,” Kittle said. “I just don’t think that’d be a very smart idea.”Being smart is, in fact, about the general premise of this current stage of Kittle’s rehab: “Just trying to check the boxes and not be a dumbass, I’d say.”The hard stuff is over. The boring stuff is behind him. The boxes left are the ones that involve running routes, making blocks and other football-related activities.Of course, for Kittle, even rehab is fun.“Relentless positivity from George, like always,” offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said. “To me that’s what’s gonna make him get back from this injury and be himself again. Because he has the right mindset. He attacks everyday with positivity that he’s progressing and he’s healing.”The mind-numbing path back from a torn Achilles tested that mindset. Now, almost on the other side, Kittle described it as “the most boring rehab in the entire world.”For four months, all he could do was pick up marbles and do calf raises. He had to rebuild the strength in his right calf back to at least 90% of the level it was at before t