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San Francisco 49ers fans suffered a devastating blow when George Kittle went down with a torn Achilles on Sunday, but the star tight end’s wife may have taken it the hardest.
Claire Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk’s wife, Kristin, have been sharing their game day memories on an Instagram page called “Wifed Up Mic’d Up,” and the page captured Claire’s live reaction to her husband’s injury.
“Get up. Get up,” Claire pleaded as her husband lay on the grass at Lincoln Financial Field.
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San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle embraces his wife Claire Kittle on the sideline prior to an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium on December 12, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
Someone else in their suite told Claire it was probably an Achilles injury after watching a replay. She then let out an emphatic “F—” and watched in shock as her husband was carted off the track.
“It’s all f—ing f—ed up. What is it, a year?” Claire asked. “Also all of next year. It makes no sense.”
The video then told viewers that Kittles spent the rest of the game in the locker room together.
Despite the injury, Kittle was in “good spirits,” likely due to the Niners’ 23-19 victory to advance to the divisional round. He was then seen on camera belting out “Linger” by The Cranberries and “One Headlight” by The Wallflowers on a bus to the airport.
“See you next year,” Kittle told the cameras.
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)
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“Disbelief and silence was all I felt as I shouted, get up, get 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,” Claire caption an Instagram post shows her and the 49ers star in the practice room and on the sideline at Lincoln Financial Field.
“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.
Kittle responded to his wife’s post with his own message of gratitude, commenting, “You are the best teammate on this journey.”
Kittle dealt with injuries during the regular season, limiting him to 11 games. He still recorded 628 receiving yards and hauled in seven touchdowns.
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)
The Niners will face their division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
