"Just rip out our hearts why don't you" - George Kittle's wife Claire blasts 49ers for releasing Kyle Juszczyk 

Kyle Juszczyk is no longer a San Francisco 49er after eight seasons, as the organization released him on Monday with a year left in his contract. And at least one person is deeply unhappy about it.

Claire Kittle, the wife of 49ers tight end George Kittle, took to her Instagram Stories to post a three-part diatribe about the decision. She began by extolling Juszcyk's accomplishments and writing:

"Just rip out our hearts why don't you. (broken heart emoji)"

Claire Kittle reacts to Kyle Juszczyk's release from 49ers

She then posted a picture of the two players standing together with this caption:

"That's family"

Kyle Juszczyk and George Kitthe had been together since 2017

She concluded with this message:

"It'll never make sense. I thank the Lord for bringing us together in 2017. You boys are everything an organization could dream of, on and off the field. I'm so proud of you."

The Juszczyks and Kittles together on the red carpet

Meanwhile, the tight end posted this image of himself and Juszczyk practicing during their rookie season on his own Instagram Stories:

"Day one juice (broken heart and juice carton emojis)"

George Kittle reacts to Kyle Juszczyk's release from 49ers

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New signing may have contributed to Kyle Juszczyk's release from 49ers

Over his eight seasons as a 49er, Kyle Juszczyk was fairly prolific for a fullback. While he carried the ball only 16 times for 212 yards and five touchdowns, he also excelled as a tertiary receiver with 184 catches for 1,895 yards and thirteen touchdowns.

However, his biggest strength was as a run-blocker. In 2019, he contributed to one of the best rushing offenses in the league despite a lack of star power at halfback. That was only amplified Christian McCaffrey arrived via midseason trade in 2022, and the fullback helped him win Offensive Player of the Year in 2023.

But after a spate of injuries to the RB room contributed to a 7-10 collapse in 2024, the 49ers have decided to change course. On Monday, they signed tight end Luke Farrell to a three-year, $20.25 million deal.

The former Jacksonville Jaguar is also known for his run-blocking, having helped Travis Etienne to two straight thousand-yarders in Duval, which may have made Juszczyk redundant as new offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak looks to reshape the offensive system.