One of the most impactful players on the San Francisco 49ers during the past few years has been a linebacker. But it’s not the one who has multiple All-Pro appearances and has been widely recognized as the best player at his position for nearly five seasons.
That honor goes to Fred Warner’s sidekick, Dre Greenlaw. He missed most of the 2024 regular season after tearing his Achilles during the Super Bowl. Greenlaw’s contract is now void since we’re in the 2025 offseason. The 49ers have the cap space to bring Greenlaw back, but can they rely on him to remain healthy?
Dre missed one game in 2023 due to a hamstring injury. In 2022, he suffered a Grade 1 calf strain in Week 7. During the NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, Greenlaw also sustained a calf injury. Earlier that season, Greenlaw re-injured his surgically repaired groin in Week 12 against the Vikings, causing him to miss five games.
That Grade 2 groin strain came after another groin injury, which Greenlaw suffered in the season opener against the Detroit Lions. This injury put him on the Injured Reserve and caused him to miss nine games.
As well as Greenlaw has played when he’s been healthy, his injury history is extensive, which would give anybody pause about an extension.
So, as the 49ers go through their exit interviews, did they give Greenlaw an ultimatum? It could have been something along the lines of, “Hey, we want you back, but only at this number.”
Thanks to TikTok, we found out that the significant others of Greenlaw and Warner threw Dre a going-away party:
From this alleged going-away party to piecing together the injury history, Greenlaw’s stint in a 49ers jersey seems to be up.
What do you think? Is this reading too much into a situation, or is Greenlaw a goner? His replacement is likely on the roster in Dee Winters, but he’s a player who lived in the injury report this season.
One takeaway is that the team could let Dre test his market, see what happens, and then be willing to bring him back on an incentive-based deal that pays Greenlaw based on the number of games he plays.
This is one of several difficult decisions the 49ers must make this offseason.
