San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle was not on the practice field for OTAs and mandatory minciamp having had core muscle surgery following the heartbreaking end to their 2023 season.

And, given the extent of the injury issues he revealed on 'Bussin with the Boys' this week, there could be cause for concern regarding his ability to maintain the form that saw him named first-team All-Pro last season.

Having revealed he tore a ligament in his big toe in the NFC Championship Game before then suffering a shoulder injury in the Super Bowl defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, Kittle added:

"Right after the Super Bowl I re-fractured a rib, I had my shoulder and then I had core surgery and my toe. I was laying there like ‘alright, deep breath, we’re going to figure this one out’. I’m laying there like ‘holy s***, this is going to be a tough bounce back’. It was tough but I’m feeling great now, which is fantastic. I’d say I’m almost back to 100 percent. I’ve got to gain 10 pounds or so. After the Super Bowl I lost 30 pounds, I couldn’t do upper body because of my shoulder and my rib, and I couldn’t do lower because of my core surgery. I didn’t lift [weights] from the Super Bowl until almost mid-March."

His comments and admission that he still has some weight to put back on may lead some to question whether Kittle could be bound for a drop-off in 2024.

But the five-time Pro Bowler appears confident he can shake off a frustrating recovery and put together another impressive campaign, having received some inspiration from one of the greatest of all time. 

Asked about the period following his core muscle surgery, Kittle replied: "My anxiety levels were pretty high. Sneezing was the worst, scar tissue pops every time you sneeze for like the first four weeks. It’s horrible.

"A bunch of people I know [got the surgery]…. The Kelce bros got that same surgery, [Robert] Tonyan got that surgery, our starting cornerback [Charvarius] Mooney [Ward] got the same surgery like a week earlier, so I knew a bunch of guys who’d gone through it. Pretty sure the Watt brothers did. 

"I called some people, they were like ‘hey you’re going to feel great. The first month or so is just gonna suck and after that you’re going to feel great’. 

"J.J. [Watt] said he had one of his best years of his career after the surgery, so that made me confident."

The 49ers have made moves to remove some of the burden from Kittle at the tight end position this season, signing Eric Saubert and, more recently, Logan Thomas, who figures to provide a receiving threat San Francisco has long since lacked behind their superstar starter.

Those acquisitions might help Kittle better protect his body in 2024, but the 49ers will be hoping he emulates Watt in healing extremely well and putting together another outstanding campaign to put San Francisco in the best position possible to atone for their most recent heartbreak.

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