Dre Greenlaw Back with the San Francisco 49ers
At the NFL owners meetings last April, San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan expressed regret over losing linebacker Dre Greenlaw to the Broncos in free agency. Now, he has his stalwart defender back. Following his official release from the Broncos on Thursday morning with a post-June 1 designation, the 49ers quickly reached an agreement to bring Greenlaw back on a one-year, $7.5 million deal.
Greenlaw was a key contributor for the 49ers from 2019 to 2024 before a single, injury-plagued season with Denver. As Nick Ferguson, a Denver media personality and former Broncos safety, noted, “I love it for San Francisco because now that’s putting him and (fellow linebacker) Fred Warner back together but once again the question is, ‘Can he stay healthy?’”
A Challenging Season in Denver
The 28-year-old Greenlaw faced significant health challenges during his time with the Broncos. He missed all of training camp with a quad injury, followed by the entire preseason and the first six regular-season games due to a hamstring injury. Further setbacks included missing the final two regular-season games with another hamstring issue and a one-game suspension for verbally abusing a referee. He played in just eight regular-season games and two playoff games, consistently on a limited snap count due to his injuries, appearing on just 43.7% of the postseason defensive snaps.
The Broncos informed Greenlaw of their intention to release him on Monday, after re-signing free agents Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad to be their starting inside linebackers for 2026. This move will save the Broncos $8.19 million on the salary cap this year, as Greenlaw was slated to earn $7.47 million in 2026.
Return to Familiar Territory
Now, Greenlaw returns to San Francisco, where his injury troubles initially began with a torn Achilles tendon in Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024, limiting him to just two games in 2024. Despite these setbacks, Shanahan had consistently expressed his desire to bring Greenlaw back, even traveling to Texas last year in a last-ditch effort to prevent him from signing with Denver. “We took another shot and we weren’t able to get it done,” Shanahan said at the time, calling Greenlaw a “great” player and person.
Greenlaw initially signed a three-year, $34.5 million deal with the Broncos last March, but the move ultimately didn’t pan out as hoped. Karl Mecklenburg, a Broncos star linebacker from 1983 to 1994, commented, “He was the name out there. But he didn’t do a lot last year. He was all right, but he wasn’t outstanding, and he was hurt.”
Broncos Move Forward
Ferguson and Mecklenburg both agreed that the Broncos made the right decision, focusing on continuity with Strnad and Singleton. Ferguson emphasized, “They did the right thing because continuity is key. Those guys know Vance Joseph’s defense and that’s important.” Strnad, who received a three-year, $18 million deal, and Singleton, re-signed on a two-year, $15 million deal, will be the starting inside linebackers for the Broncos.
The Broncos utilized a post-June 1 designation for Greenlaw’s release, allowing them to spread the dead money over two years, freeing up $2.167 million in cap space this year, with another $2.167 million impacting the 2027 cap.
With Greenlaw back in San Francisco, Kyle Shanahan has regained a player he has long admired. Adding a layer of intrigue, the Broncos are scheduled to play at San Francisco in 2026.
Source: Denver Gazette
