San Francisco star tight end George Kittle revealed during a recent podcast appearance that he was unable to train for several weeks following the 49ers’ blowout loss to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl in February.
Kittle, who stands 6-foot-4 and normally weighs 250 pounds, claims he lost about 30 pounds during the offseason while recovering from multiple injuries.
“I couldn’t lift it,” Kittle said.On the bus with the boys“On the podcast, I couldn’t do any upper body exercises because of my shoulders and my ribs, and I couldn’t do any lower body exercises. [body] I had core surgery. … I didn’t lift from the Super Bowl until about mid-March.
“A month went by without doing anything. I shouldn’t have been doing anything. My anxiety levels were so high.”
The 49ers star waited until the offseason to repair torn core muscles and broken ribs while also dealing with lingering shoulder and toe injuries.
Meanwhile, Kittle played in the team’s first 16 regular season games but missed a meaningless game against the Los Angeles Rams in what turned out to be the final game of the year.
Kittle believes the 30-pound weight loss isn’t too much of a concern going into the regular season because he continues to train regularly.
“It’s been tough, but I feel good right now. It’s great,” Kittle added of the recovery process that began in March. “I’d say I’m pretty much 100 percent back.”
Kittle, rated by far the best running-blocking tight end in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus, said he hopes to gain another 10 pounds before the regular season.
He had a revitalized season in 2023, continued to forge a strong connection with quarterback Brock Purdy and topped the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time since 2019.
Kittle is known as one of the toughest players in the NFL and is a star tight end. He is said to have played He will suffer from an inguinal sports hernia during the 2023 season.
The 49ers will open the season on Monday Night Football on September 9th at home against the Jets.
