NEED TO KNOWGeorge Kittle spoke with PEOPLE exclusively about his recovery from his season-ending Achilles tear during the Jan. 11 playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles
The 49ers tight end revealed how his diet has changed, in addition to his physical routine as he eyes the upcoming season
Kittle chatted about his latest team-up with MUG Root Beer to debut MUG Brotein, which he's including in his protein-filled diet
George Kittle is fueling up for an epic football comeback with the San Francisco 49ers.
The star tight end, 32, spoke with PEOPLE exclusively about his recovery journey after suffering a season-ending Achilles tear during the 49ers' NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Jan. 11, a 23-19 win, and shared a look at how his training and diet have changed as he eyes the season ahead.
Kittle opened up about the challenges that have come along with the recovery while speaking about his latest team-up with MUG Root Beer to debut MUG Brotein, a “dirty protein” remix made by mixing MUG Zero Sugar with a vanilla protein shake.
"Getting hurt in the playoffs is never fun," he tells PEOPLE ahead of the Brotein launch. "Tearing your Achilles, not very fun either. I wouldn't suggest it — but, I am doing really good right now. Making progress all the way. I'd say the most difficult part is just the early stages of recovery."
"There's only so much you can do, so it's a lot of repetitive things over and over and over again for weeks," he continues. "So we're almost through the mundane stuff. I almost get to go out there and have a lot of fun again. We're getting there."
While Kittle has taken a slowed-down approach to his physical recovery with workouts, he has also switched up his diet. His physical therapist and surgeon suggested more protein early on in his recovery process, which is what makes the Brotein bundle so enticing to him.
"Eat as much protein as you possibly can," he recalls the medical experts telling him. "You literally can't eat enough of it because it helps with your tendon recovery, so that would be the biggest change. Just eating as much as I could possibly fit."
At first, Kittle said "it was kind of weird" to get used to that dietary increase — but now, he's gotten used to the macronutrient lift.
"Now, protein's basically my entire diet with some other stuff," he says, noting, "But that has been the biggest adjustment, just protein, protein, protein, with a little Brotein."
Starting the week of April 20, the limited-run MUG Root Beer Brotein bundle becomes available. It's complete with MUG Zero Sugar, a vanilla protein shake and exclusive MUG gym essentials designed to take your gains to the next level (shaker bottle, gym bag and MUG tank).
"Everybody's out there always trying these new protein concoctions," he says. "MUG protein kind of falls in that category, but it's 40 grams of protein with zero sugar. Those are things that you want. Tastes like a root beer float too, which is just phenomenal... Chef's kiss!"
As for where he stands with the season ahead, Kittle revealed what's been "motivating" him throughout his recovery journey.
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"It's just another challenge for me," he says of the season-ending injury. "You know, something to overcome or a hurdle to get over. And so I'm just really looking forward to showing that I can get that done and get back onto the football field as quickly as I can."
"Just recently, I'm on and off of crutches," he shares. "And so we're just small little steps in the right direction. That's all we're trying to do."
The 49ers will open the 2026 NFL season against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday, Sept. 10.