San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle caught all the attention at the 2023 NFL Honors with an unforgettable performance.
Grammy award-winning singer Kelly Clarkson was the host of the event and Kittle sang a rendition of her 2009 hit "My Life Would Suck Without You" with a twist, incorporating 49ers-themed lyrics.
Kittle took to Radio Row ahead of Super Bowl LVII in Phoenix, Arizona to reveal behind-the-scenes information from his meme-worthy performance.
"I had two verses and a chorus," Kittle said on NFL Network. "It's a pretty high-pitched chorus, but I thought I did pretty well out there for the circumstances. I tried my best."
On Friday, the tight end joined FanDuel TV's "Up & Adams" to discuss how he practiced multiple times for his spotlight during the event.
"After about the fourth or fifth time, I was like, 'It's not going to get any better,' so let's just go out there and sing your heart out and have the best time you can possibly have," Kittle said.
Kittle is known for his fearlessness on the field, blocking any defender that gets in the offense's way, breaking tackles and racking up yards after the catch. But when the pads are stripped and it's time to put his vocal skills to the test in front of NFL greats and a national audience, that's when Kittle said the nerves kicked in.
"With 45 seconds on the clock, fourth quarter, down six, we've got to go score a touchdown – that is easier to me than singing at the NFL Honors," Kittle said. "My heart rate was through the roof, I was in a full sweat and my wife sitting next to me was saying, 'just breathe.' I was doing breathing exercises for about five minutes before going into that I was so nervous."
Having watched back his performance, Kittle described his performance as "a lot" on the "Up & Adams" show.
Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson amusingly told NBC Sports Bay Area's Jennifer Lee Chan that he thinks Kittle is better off playing football than he is at singing.
"George is a great tight end, don't get me wrong, but I don't know if that business is for him," Hutchinson said jokingly. "It really was just screaming lyrics at that point."
Capturing national attention for a light-hearted parody is right up Kittle's alley. The Pro Bowl tight end is always finding an opportunity for a laugh and some fun to brighten up any environment.
Check out how media outlets reacted to Kittle's singing at NFL Honors on social media:
Check out some of the top photos of TE George Kittle, DL Nick Bosa, RB Christian McCaffrey and other 49ers players and alumni at NFL Honors.