Despite previous reports stating that San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle might be done for the season, the 27-year-old himself remains adamant that he will be able to return to the field this term.

Kittle is currently dealing with a foot/ankle injury, and was recently placed on the team's injured reserve list. Nevertheless, the All-Pro TE believes that he will be back sooner rather than later:

“They said eight weeks; I said six,” Kittle told Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com (h/t Charean Williams of NBC Sports). “And I’m excited. These last couple days have definitely progressed forward and made me very optimistic about returning to the field of play.

“When I first got hurt, my mindset was that I’ll be back. And I’m going to continue to keep that mindset because I definitely feel like I’m going to be on the field here sooner than later.”

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Kittle injured his ankle in San Francisco's Week 8 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, and while initial x-ray reports were deemed as “not serious“, it was eventually reported that he would be forced to miss “extended time“. There has been a bit of confusion with regards to the two-time Pro-Bowler's timetable, but if you ask him, Kittle is adamant that he is on the brink of coming back.

At this point, it appears that Week 15 against the Dallas Cowboys might be an optimistic target date for Kittle. The Niners get the Arizona Cardinals for Week 16, which might be more realistic for George Kittle. The 49ers' playoff hopes at that point should also factor in on the team's decision to bring back their star tight end.