Story byKyle Madson, Niners WireFri, January 16, 2026 at 5:47 AM UTC·1 min readWhile the San Francisco 49ers geared up for their divisional playoff matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, injured superstar tight end George Kittle was undergoing surgery to repair the torn Achilles tendon he suffered in the 49ers' wild card win over the Philadelphia Eagles.49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on Thursday in his post-practice press conference provided an extremely positive update on Kittle that included some optimism for his return in 2026. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I talked to him through text," Shanahan said. "He sent a funny picture of him and his after surgery to my wife. He seemed like he was feeling pretty good, like most people are right after surgery.