The Key Takeaway from Fred Warner’s New Extension
The 49ers aren’t messing around this offseason. After signing quarterback Brock Purdy to a massive contract extension last week, the team wasn’t done negotiating, immediately accelerating their negotiation process with four-time All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner. The contract will span three years and is valued at $63 million with $56 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid off-ball linebacker in the league. It is a well-deserved payday for Warner, who played all of last season on a fractured ankle he suffered in Week Four. His previous contract had two years remaining on it, but there was no guaranteed money left on the deal.
San Francisco has taken contract negotiations seriously this offseason, as three of their biggest stars have received massive extensions. George Kittle signed his extension, which made him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. Purdy signed his extension, which made him the highest-paid player in franchise history, and now Warner signed his extension, which makes him the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL. The 49ers are finding it essential to make their franchise cornerstones happy early into the offseason. The team needs continuity, and Warner’s contract, specifically, will give them much-needed continuity on defense.
Many impact defensive players like Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, and Charvarius Ward left in free agency. However, Warner needed to be kept. He has been a building block on the defense for seven seasons while being viewed as the top linebacker in the NFL after being selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The superstar linebacker actually made the conversion from safety to linebacker from college to the NFL and has never looked back. Flying all over the field, he’s registered 897 tackles, 15 forced fumbles, 53 pass deflections, 10 interceptions, and 10 sacks in his seven-year NFL career so far, continuing to cement himself as a 49er all-time great.
Former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh will return for the 2025 season after being fired by the New York Jets. This is a huge reunion as Saleh was the coach who unlocked Warner’s potential before departing for the Jets’ head coaching role in 2021. Finishing 6-11 in 2024 and having an underwhelming run defense wasn’t ideal for the defensive unit led by Warner. However, the unit’s overall production and discipline should change with these moves. San Francisco will look to return to their defensive standards set by Saleh’s 2019 defensive unit.
