Claire Kittle got a close-up view of the harsh realities of the NFL \u2014 and it\u2019s changed almost everything about her life since.<\/p>\n
Claire, who is married to 49ers tight end George Kittle, said it \u201creally hit home\u201d when San Francisco briefly released veteran fullback Kyle Juszczyk before resigning him in March.<\/p>\n
George and Kyle are the longest-tenured Niners and close friends, while Claire and Kyle\u2019s wife Kristin Juszczyk are best friends \u2014 and recently started a new digital series, \u201cWife\u2019d Up Mic\u2019d Up,\u201d<\/a> which follows their gameday adventures.<\/p>\n In a recent interview with The Post, the 31-year-old Iowa native explained that the emotional ordeal shifted her mindset, and now she\u2019s in her \u201cyes\u201d era. <\/p>\n George Kittle and Claire Kittle on the sideline at a 49ers game in 2025. Instagram\/Claire Kittle<\/p>\n \u201cThis offseason, Kyle was cut for a brief moment and we saw that [dynamic between the four of us] really change. He was, for a brief moment, going to a different team. That really hit home and made it real that this [NFL life] is not for long,\u201d Claire said while speaking on behalf of her partnership with Smirnoff for the next chapter of its Smirnoff We Do Game Days platform.<\/p>\n \u201cThat [situation] made us be like, \u2018Alright, we\u2019re doing everything we ever wanted to do right now because we don\u2019t know how much longer we have together\u2026 And as we\u2019re getting older, I feel like it gets more emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n During a previous appearance on Claire and George\u2019s podcast, \u201cKittle Things,\u201d Kyle said the foursome \u2014 who live down the street from each other \u2014 had an emotional goodbye over the phone and described it as one of \u201cthe worst and hardest calls\u201d he\u2019s had.<\/p>\n George Kittle and his wife Claire Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk and his wife Kristin Juszczyk vacationing together in Lake Tahoe in July 2025. Instagram\/Claire Kittle<\/p>\n Kyle, 34, spent only four days in free agency before the 49ers re-signed him to a restructured two-year deal.<\/p>\n George, 32, agreed to a four-year, $76.4 million contract extension with San Francisco in April. <\/p>\n Claire and Kristin were able to move forward with \u201cWife\u2019d Up Mic\u2019d Up\u201d as 49ers WAGs.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like we do this every week when we\u2019re flying home from an away game, it\u2019s usually [Kristin] and I on the plane, sitting by each other,\u201d Claire said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re debriefing and [stop to think that] it\u2019s crazy to think all the life we\u2019ve lived and we\u2019re still together at year nine and we\u2019re just so grateful for that.\u201d <\/p>\n Kyle Juszczyk gives the game ball to his wife Kristin Juszczyk after the 49ers beat the Seahawks in October 2024. Instagram\/Kristin Juszczyk<\/p>\n WAG life <\/p>\n Claire and Kristin \u2014 who\u2019ve become some of the most famous WAGs (aka wives and girlfriends) of the NFL \u2014 decided to allow a camera crew to film behind-the-scenes of the 2025 season for their YouTube digital series, \u201cWife\u2019d Up Mic\u2019d Up<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have wanted to do this for years,\u201d Claire said. \u201cBut again, everything that goes into it, getting a production team, getting videographers, editing it, there\u2019s no way we can do this by ourselves because it just wouldn\u2019t be up to our standard. <\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 [Kristin\u2019s] so fun to work with. We do all this crazy stuff off screen anyway. We wanted to show pieces of that because we do have a really great friendship and relationship, and I think that\u2019s important to show people and be in charge of the content.\u201d <\/p>\n The new series, which launched in October, follows Claire and Kristin on gamedays, whether on the road or home at Levi\u2019s Stadium, and includes their fashion, families and friends.<\/p>\n Kristin Juszczyk and Claire Kittle at a 49ers-Seahawks game in 2024. Instagram\/Kristin Juszczyk <\/p>\n