The San Francisco 49ers signed star linebacker Fred Warner to a three-year, $63 million contract extension in 2025. However, one reporter recently suggested the team might at least consider trading the All-Pro defender—a scenario that wouldn’t sit well with the fanbase.
Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com, who covers the New York Giants, floated the idea on social media while discussing potential roster upgrades for New York. Stapleton noted that he had heard the 49ers might at least listen to trade discussions involving Warner.
“I don’t know if San Francisco will trade Warner,” Stapleton wrote (h/t to @TheSFNiners for the find). “Heard they might consider it if somehow they could get Dre Greenlaw back in the fold.”
I don’t know if San Francisco will trade Warner. Heard they might consider it if somehow they could get Dre Greenlaw back in the fold.
I’m not playing games like some are suggesting on here. https://t.co/jDu8OzbWV5
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) March 4, 2026
Dre Greenlaw departed the 49ers last offseason to join the Denver Broncos. There has been speculation about his long-term future in Denver, and San Francisco made a late push to retain the linebacker before he ultimately committed to the Broncos in 2025.
Meanwhile, Warner remains one of the most dominant defensive players in the NFL and is widely regarded as the league’s top off-ball linebacker.
His 2025 season ended prematurely after he suffered a dislocated and fractured right ankle on October 12, 2025, during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Warner was expected to return if the 49ers advanced to the NFC Championship Game, but the team’s postseason run ended a week earlier with a playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks, who went on to win the Super Bowl.
It seems unlikely the 49ers would actually trade a fan favorite like Warner, who remains a foundational player on the defense. Still, Stapleton suggests it’s a possibility.
Before the injury, Warner recorded 51 tackles, three passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in six games. At that pace, he was on track to surpass 140 tackles for the season.