49ers’ Linebacker’s Christmas Miracle: 20-Tackle Star Hopes for a Dream Gift from…
At 6-8, the San Francisco 49ers are all-but eliminated from the playoffs, and impending free agent Dre Greenlaw is looking toward the future. A fifth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Arkansas product immediately outplayed his draft capital to play a pivotal role on the NFC Champion 49ers. He proved this wasn’t a one-year fluke, maintaining his role on the defense while recording 127 tackles in 2022 and 120 in 2023.
Unfortunately, the star linebacker tore his Achilles during Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs , forcing him to start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. The defense suffered without him, but he returned to the lineup in Week 15’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Now healthy, the 49ers star is looking towards the future and said he wants “some money” for Christmas.
Nobody knows what Dre Greenlaw can get as a free agent. When healthy, he’s one of the league’s better all-around linebackers and should generate a market. However, Achilles injuries are one of the most serious in the game, and the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons can tell you that players don’t magically recover from those ailments. The 49ers need to pay quarterback Brock Purdy this offseason, which means a team like the Los Angeles Chargers or Carolina Panthers could easily outbid the competition.
