George Kittle’s wife, Claire, gave San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy his flowers, but several fans think she also threw subtle shade at former Niners signal-callers, including Jimmy Garoppolo.
Mrs. Kittle shared an Instagram Story post on Tuesday, implying that her husband’s career would have been so much better if the 49ers had more stability under center during the first years of Kittle’s time in the league.
“Just imagine if he had a consistent QB week-to-week for the first five years of his career lol,” Claire wrote. “Thankful to have Brock at the helm. This duo has a lot of records together. Let’s keep it rolling.”
The caption was accompanied by data that proves how elite Kittle and Purdy’s QB-TE connection has been ever since the latter took over as San Francisco’s QB1.
Claire Kittle kept it 💯 on the Brock Purdy and George Kittle duo 👏 pic.twitter.com/LrTuAN8vFx
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) September 1, 2026
But fans online interpreted Claire’s post differently, with many saying she threw shade at former 49ers quarterback Garoppolo and others who started under center before Purdy entered the picture.
the shade to Jimmy Garoppolo is hilarious
— Nicksvsc (@Nicksvsc) September 2, 2026
I’m glad Mrs. Kittle knows how awful Jimmy G was too
— Stepper (@bigstepper_04) September 2, 2026
Jimmy g slander will not be tolerated
— daniel (@dhnyhl) September 2, 2026
Shot at Jimmy??? I agree with her
— Kody (@KodyBruce72) September 1, 2026
Throwing his buddy cj under the bus is crazy work 🤣
— Football Talk (@Football_Talk2) September 1, 2026
Garoppolo was a San Francisco quarterback from 2017 to 2o22, and was even the 49ers’ starting quarterback when they reached the Super Bowl in 2020. Still, he never quite lived up to his immense 5-year, $137.5 million contract extension with the 49ers during his time. Other San Francisco QBs in the pre-Purdy era that coincided with Kittle’s early years in the NFL were C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens.
Purdy’s rise to the top QB job for the Niners is well documented and one of the best football stories in recent memory. Selected last overall in the 2022 NFL Draft and a third-string quarterback for San Francisco, Purdy capitalized on every break on his way to the top of the 49ers depth chart. Injuries to Trey Lance and Garoppolo paved the way for Purdy’s rise.
