Signs are pointing toward Dre Greenlaw not coming back to the 49ers when free agency hits this spring.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw has to be the San Francisco 49ers’ No. 1 re-sign priority this offseason.
The Niners witness firsthand what it was like not having Greenlaw in the lineup for nearly all of 2024, beginning with the tragic Achilles tear and momentum swing suffered in the middle of Super Bowl 58 a year ago against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Then, with Greenlaw out of the lineup for all but two games the subsequent regular season, highlighted by fellow linebacker De’Vondre Campbell’s fiasco, San Francisco’s defense clearly lacked the thump, intensity and fortitude it displayed when Greenlaw was on the field.
Now, he’s a free agent, likely a coveted one. And there are already potential signs he won’t return to the Bay Area in 2025.
True, there are rumors defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is pounding the table for the 49ers to re-sign Greenlaw this offseason. However, those hopes and notions received a blow from one notable Niners insider.
Matt Barrows suggests Dre Greenlaw likely departs 49ers this offseason
Speaking to KNBR 680, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows shed some not-so-positive insights about Greenlaw’s impending future with the Niners.
“I think the chances are better than not that Dre Greenlaw is gone… My sense is that Dre Greenlaw wants the opportunity to run his own shop.” @mattbarrows told @Adamcopes & @dpapapops that Dre Greenlaw may have taken his last snap as a Niner🙁 pic.twitter.com/wN8uv3MkhM
— KNBR (@KNBR) February 12, 2025
“I think the chances are better than not that Dre Greenlaw is gone,” Barrows told the Copes & D-Pop Show.
While San Francisco currently owns $48-plus million in salary cap space, it can’t exactly afford to get into a bidding war for the 27-year-old linebacker’s services, especially with quarterback Brock Purdy’s potentially massive contract extension looming.
But that might not be the only reason why Greenlaw departs.
“My sense is that Dre Greenlaw wants the opportunity to run his own shop,” Barrows continued, suggesting Greenlaw no longer wants to play second fiddle behind All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, who understandably receives the bulk of credit for the 49ers’ linebacking effectiveness since the two were first paired together back in 2019.
Greenlaw and Warner are exceptionally close, yes, as the latter revealed to FanSided just before Super Bowl 59.
But that relationship might not be enough to convince Greenlaw to stay, especially if he’s eyeing the opportunity to step out from behind Warner’s shadow.
Barrows, who has a good pulse on all things Niners, did mention it’s not a strong or conclusive perspective.
However, if his sense is one that includes Greenlaw not playing for San Francisco in 2025, it’d be a blow the 49ers would have trouble to absorb.
