49ers' George Kittle makes shocking revelation about 2023 season

Hockey players are often cited as the toughest athletes, largely due to their reputation for returning to the ice after suffering significant injuries. 49ers star tight end George Kittle proves those that ply their trade on the gridiron have a claim to the "toughest athlete" moniker.

It was previously learned Kittle underwent successful core muscle surgery following the club's Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kittle spoke with reporters on Wednesday and suggested he played roughly half the season with the injury.

"I’d say like Week 9-10," Kittle said about when he first experienced the setback, per Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area. "We took some MRIs of it and some stuff didn’t show up, so we weren’t entirely sure what we were dealing with until I got the surgery. That was a tough one. We tried to figure it out, but things weren’t popping up on the scans, so just something we were playing through for probably like 10 weeks."

As noted by ESPN stats, Kittle nevertheless finished the 2023 regular season third on the 49ers with 65 receptions, second with 90 targets, second with 1,020 receiving yards and second (behind three players) with six touchdown catches. However, the 30-year-old recorded just eight receptions on 13 targets for 112 yards and a single score across three playoff games.

"[The training staff] tried doing everything they could to help keep me on the field as much as possible and not miss any practices and stuff like that," Kittle said about playing through the problem. "They did a great job of that and it wasn’t the most fun, but still could play at a high level."

Heading into June, Kittle seemingly is on track to play when the 49ers open the season with a "Monday Night Football" home game versus the New York Jets on Sept. 9.

"Coming along," Kittle said about his ongoing recovery. "Progressing as planned. Goal is to be ready for training camp, and all signs point I will be ready for training camp. Feeling wonderful. Guys are around having fun, playing football. It’s a great time to be alive."

The 49ers are again expected to compete for more than just a postseason berth beginning in September. As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed San Francisco as the betting favorite at +250 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIX.