Nick Bosa and George Kittle are on the plane.
Sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on Wednesday that both San Francisco 49ers stars will make the club's trip to Melbourne for the Sept. 10 season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, ending days of uncertainty about whether either recovering star would cross the Pacific.
The report, carried by TSN, ABC7 and Yahoo Sports, upgrades both from a practice-week decision window to confirmed travelers for the NFL's first regular-season game in Australia.
Kittle was activated from the physically unable to perform list Aug. 23 while recovering from a torn right Achilles suffered in the Jan. 11 playoff win over Philadelphia. Rapoport's sources said he will travel after two positive days of practice and is trending toward playing in the opener.
In the days after the injury, Kittle had said he did not expect to miss much of the 2026 season, citing a tear higher on the leg that can support better blood flow and recovery.
Bosa tore his ACL last September in what was his third ACL surgery and the second on his right knee. He did not practice for most of training camp and has been ramping work on the knee. General manager John Lynch said Tuesday that Bosa was building toward an opener target even as coaches managed his intensity day to day.
Shanahan's travel rule of thumb
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said earlier this week he would prefer not to take Kittle to Australia if it looked as if the tight end would not be ready to play, Yahoo Sports reported in summarizing the Rapoport update. Making the trip does not guarantee a Week 1 active roster spot for either player.
It does signal that the medical and coaching staffs see a realistic path to availability by kickoff - the threshold Shanahan has used for who belongs on a 16-hour-plus flight.
That distinction matters for a roster that already cut and reshaped around Australia logistics. San Francisco leaves the Bay Area on Wednesday and is scheduled to arrive in Melbourne on Friday, building in nearly a week on the ground before the Rams. Kickoff is set for 5:35 p.m.
