Claire Kittle Says Being an NFL WAG Means Dealing with 'More Eyeballs' on Her (Exclusive)

George Kittle scored quite the touchdown when he married wife Claire. 

The pair, who first met during their freshman year of college at the University of Iowa, are no strangers to the public eye, and Claire tells PEOPLE that being the "WAG" in the relationship — the term for "wives and girlfriends" of athletes — has more in common with other supportive spouses than one might think.

“I mean, the only thing that's different about it is the profession, right? So if you're in a healthy, positive relationship and you're supporting one another, and your husband owns a business or whatever his career path may be, I think the most important part is that you both just are communicating every single day,” she says. 

George, 30, has been one of the NFL’s top tight ends for nearly a decade. He's been named to the Pro Bowl five times and helped lead the 49ers to two Super Bowl appearances, and now, he's featured in Netflix's new series Receiver.

As for other pro tips from the couple of more than a 11 years, they say persevering through the bad days and being committed to working together are of the utmost importance.

Living in a place you love also doesn't hurt — when George isn’t busy practicing and playing for the 49ers, the couple spend their offseason in Nashville where they enjoy the warmer weather and where George has “someone to throw me the football,” he says with a laugh.

(The fact that George's former quarterback C.J. Beathard and 49ers wide receiver Trent Taylor both lived in Nashville at the time made the move all the more enticing). 

For Claire, she says she and George “just really love hanging out and doing everything together,” which makes being a team of two that much easier.

Still, as George’s NFL career soars, Claire recognizes the challenges that fame can bring, too. 

“With more success comes more eyeballs, and more people putting scrutiny on you, and it's stressful. The world is a negative place,” she says. “So, if you can find somebody to be yourself with and at the end of every day be like, ‘Well, how was your day? Are you good? What do you need from me? Let’s do this together,’ then you both are going to be extremely successful.”

And, says Claire, the “WAG” label to her ultimately just means that her partner is somebody who is involved in the sports world, and so she’s involved in it, too — and that tireless support doesn't go unnoticed by George.

“When I wake up to go to football, my alarm's at 5:45 AM. After I brush my teeth, get my clothes on, walk out the door, Claire tells me to 'kick some ass today and go be my best self.' That sets the tone for the entire day, and it just kind of makes me feel revitalized no matter if I'm dealing with an injury or if I had a bad play the day before," he says.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The receiver adds: "I think that is something that not a lot of guys get all the time, especially if you're not married or you don't have that person who's encouraging you. And Claire's someone who played basketball at a high level, so she knows what it's like to go through the ups and downs of a season. You don't feel like you're by yourself, and it’s really awesome and very necessary throughout a long NFL season.”

Receiver is streaming now on Netflix.