The 49ers made it clear on Wednesday what they would like to do with pending free agent linebacker Dre Greenlaw.

Dre Greenlaw provided the San Francisco 49ers an amazing spark in his debut in 2024.

Albeit his debut was short-lived, he showed exactly what it was the 49ers were missing with him out of action. His production is solid and the emotion he instills in the 49ers is second-to-none. However, there is a chance the 49ers and Greenlaw are headed for a separation.

Greenlaw will be an unrestricted free agent in March. The 49ers have their hands tied with an extension for Brock Purdy and possibly George Kittle. But that did not stop the 49ers from making their intentions with Greenlaw clear — they want him back.

“We’re doing everything in the world we can to bring Greenlaw back and we’re not into losing really good players who are unbelievable people,” said Shanahan at his exit press conference on Wednesday. “So, we’re going to do everything we can to never lose really good players who are good people. But that’s also a very hard challenge, very hard.”

The challenge that Shanahan is alluding to is fitting Greenlaw’s new deal into the salary cap. Again, extensions for Purdy and Kittle make it difficult. Not to mention there are other areas of the team the 49ers need to address.

But the elephant in the room is the 49ers have to feel uneasy with signing Greenlaw. It isn’t that they’re worried about his production. He showed he is still an impactful player and he makes the players around him better.

However, the issue with Greenlaw is with his health. Can he stay healthy? As great as it was to see him play well in his limited showing, it was also concerning that it needed to be limited. His body might never be the same again. Greenlaw and his agent will certainly say that it won’t happen again the further away he gets from his surgery date on his torn Achilles.

Still, the 49ers have to consider that option. The best ability is availability and the 49ers might view Greenlaw as a luxury and risk they cannot afford. I’d imagine Greenlaw will test the market to see what he can get. All it takes is for one team to overlook his injuries and buy into the limited action they saw from him.

The 49ers have a lot to consider and discussions to have. One thing is for sure: They want Greenlaw back. They will need to show that by not lowballing him. Cashing him out would be reckless, but they can’t give him a minimum or slightly above minimum either.

“I know I sat with Dre and always have great discussions with Dre,” said John Lynch. “I know about his want to be here and I know our want to have him here. And like Kyle said, there’s realities and there’s tough decisions and so many factors to all those things. But believe me, the desire on both sides is there.”

Retaining Greenlaw should be fairly high on the 49ers’ offseason priority list. He is a risk, but one that I believe is worth it. The 49ers say they desire to have Greenlaw back. Well, they are going to need to show it when free agency arrives or else Greenlaw will be donning another team’s jersey.