How Kyle Shanahan used Jayson Tatum to inspire George Kittle – NBC Sports Bay Area & California
What to Know
- After Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum returned 10 months after rupturing his proper Achilles tendon, Kyle Shanahan is hopeful and assured 49ers star tight end George Kittle can observe an analogous path.
- “I keep telling Kittle that Jayson Tatum got hurt in the playoffs and he’s looking pretty damn good right now with his Achilles,” Shanahan stated on “The Rich Eisen Show.”
- The 32-year-old is anticipated to return sooner or later through the 2026 season, however it’s unclear when precisely that is likely to be.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum shocked the sports activities world when he returned this NBA season 10 months after rupturing his proper Achilles tendon.
Kyle Shanahan is hopeful and assured 49ers star tight end George Kittle can observe an analogous path for the upcoming 2026 NFL season.
“I keep telling Kittle that Jayson Tatum got hurt in the playoffs and he’s looking pretty damn good right now with his Achilles,” Shanahan stated on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “So let’s try to do something like that, and I know Kittle will. Kittle’s too impressive of a talent and too impressive of a person, so I can’t wait to get him back.”
Kittle suffered an Achilles tear throughout San Francisco’s NFC wild-card playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles in January.
The 32-year-old is anticipated to return sooner or later through the 2026 season, however it’s unclear when precisely that is likely to be, though Shanahan acknowledged there is a “chance” Kittle returns for Week 1.
General supervisor John Lynch shared an analogous return timeline estimate, and Kittle himself has shared encouraging updates from his rehab.
Meanwhile, Tatum, who suffered his damage in May 2025 throughout Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in opposition to the New York Knicks, returned to Boston’s lineup in Early March 2026 — and returned in champion-level type.
Tatum closed out the common season averaging 21.8 factors, with 10 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 32.6 minutes in 16 video games (16 begins). He has taken his recreation to one other stage in Boston’s ongoing first-round playoff sequence in opposition to the Philadelphia 76ers, with 25-11-8 averages via 5 video games to this point.
Is that very same sort of trajectory on the horizon for Kittle? Shanahan definitely thinks so.