What Does the Future Hold for Dre Greenlaw with the 49ers?

One of the many injured players the San Francisco 49ers greatly missed this season is linebacker Dre Greenlaw. Greenlaw tore his Achilles during last season’s Super Bowl and didn’t return until Week 15 versus the Los Angeles Rams.

He left that game in the third quarter, but in the time he was on the field that Thursday evening, he reminded everyone how vital he is to the Niners’ defense. He would only play one more game until being shut down for the remainder of the season.

Greenlaw is about to become a free agent, and members of the Faithful are worried that he will leave, whether it’s because the Niners won’t be able to afford him or simply because he may want to move on. But Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports feels Greenlaw will stay in the Bay, at least for one more year.

Matt Maiocco thinks Dre Greenlaw will re-sign with the 49ers:

“My guess would be Dre Greenlaw comes back to the 49ers on probably a one year kind of prove it deal. To try and get his body right, and then try and take another bite at the apple in free agency the next year.”

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— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) January 9, 2025

A torn Achilles is arguably the worst injury an athlete can suffer, other than brain trauma, and it can take months of being back in action before he fully regains confidence and trust in his body. As a Will linebacker, Greenlaw’s ability to fly around and wreak havoc on opposing offenses had made San Francisco one of the NFL’s best defensive squads until this season.

In 2023, he recorded 120 total tackles (75 solo), four passes defended, four quarterback hits, five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.