NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
George Kittle will not be in uniform when the San Francisco 49ers face the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round.
The seven-time Pro Bowl tight end was carted off the field in the second quarter of Sunday’s NFC Wild Card Round game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Kittle was later diagnosed with an Achilles injury.
Despite Kittle’s injury, the 49ers staged a late rally to upset the defending champion Eagles. His wife, Claire, later shared a message of heartbreak but also optimism about his recovery.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers is run off the field in the second quarter of the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
“Disbelief and silence was all I felt as I shouted, stood up, stood up, over and over again. He always gets up. He’s George – he can do anything. He just does it. It hurts. There’s no preparation for it. I love this man with everything in me. He’s a unicorn in this world and he’ll be back stronger and better than ever on Instagram,” says Claire. 49ers star in the training room and on the sideline at Lincoln Financial Field.
49ERS STAR GEORGE KITTLE REFLECTS ON SEASON ENDING INJURY: ‘FOOTBALL SUCKS SOMETIMES’
“The mind of a broken athlete is determined. He is not (expletive) capable, as is this entire team. I am proud of these guys and the rallying grind they battle every week. It’s a special year, you can tell, and we’re not done yet. Thank you for loving G and carrying some of this pain for us,” she wrote.
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) greets his wife Claire Kittle before a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on August 23, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Chris Unger/Getty Images)
Kittle responded to Claire’s post with his own message of gratitude, commenting, “You are the best teammate on this journey.”
Kristin Juszczyk, the wife of Kittle’s teammate Kyle Juszczyk, also chimed in, writing, “Forever proud to be a part of this fam! For 85!!”
George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers is run off the field in the second quarter of the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Elsa/Getty Images)
Kittle dealt with injuries during the regular season, limiting him to 11 games. He still recorded 628 receiving yards and hauled in seven touchdowns.
The Niners will also be without star defensive players Nick Bosa and Fred Warner when they start against the Seahawks on Saturday. San Francisco Pro Bowl offensive lineman Trent Williams said this season’s injuries built resilience.
“I think it made us stronger for something like this,” Williams said. “Kittle went down in the first half. I think if we didn’t have experience with that, it would have been easy for everyone to fold and nobody would have blamed us. They would have said, ‘Hey, they don’t have this player, not that player, they should probably lose’.”
