San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw has fought like crazy to get back onto the football field in a 49ers uniform.
After tearing his Achilles in Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs last February, Greenlaw embarked upon a grueling rehab and recovery process.
It wasn’t until this past Thursday in the 49ers’ 12-6 loss versus the Los Angeles Rams that Greenlaw finally made his 2024 season debut for San Francisco.
Greenlaw joined KNBR radio’s “Murph & Markus” on Tuesday to discuss his return to the field and his pending unrestricted free agency.
“Just been through a lot the past nine, 10 months, so honestly just going out there and having fun, playing for my teammates, just laying it all on the line, man. It’s been a long time since I played football, so I was excited and happy to suit up,” Greenlaw said of his return.
Greenlaw was the final 49er to come out of the tunnel versus the Rams, leading to a raucous ovation from the Faithful.
“It definitely was like a dream come true, just very special moment. I didn’t expect that type of roar or anything. I didn’t expect anything, but I know the moment was just big for me to be able to do that. So, when I heard that roar and that cheer, it just gave me goosebumps,” Greenlaw said of the fans’ reception.
It could be bittersweet for San Francisco fans, though. Greenlaw is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason if the 49ers don’t place a franchise tag upon him or reach a contract agreement before the start of the new league year on March 12, 2025.
With just three games left in the 49ers’ regular season, Greenlaw is aware that the franchise’s future and his potential free agency is on the San Francisco fan base’s collective minds.
“My attitude, honestly, I’m not thinking about all of the free agency stuff. I’m just thinking about three games that I’ve got left with my teammates. At the end of the day, I’m probably going to be a free agent regardless, so I can’t, I’m not trying to rush the process of being a free agent.
“I’ve got three games left to enjoy with Fred and Bosa and Purdy and all those guys. When that time comes, I can’t stop it. I can’t do nothing about it, so all I can do is just enjoy these three games,” Greenlaw said.
Selected in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft, Greenlaw has been a part of some special San Francisco seasons. The 49ers have advanced to a pair of Super Bowl appearances and two other NFC Championship games while Greenlaw has been a member of the franchise.
When asked about those playoff near-misses, Greenlaw might have hinted at his desire to be back in San Francisco in 2025 and beyond.
“There’s always unfinished business, definitely feel like that. I can’t really control… I mean, right now we’ve got three games left, we’re barely in the playoffs or we’re not even in the playoffs. This is definitely unfinished business,” Greenlaw said.
“Just got to figure out a way to get back there. It’s just a tough process, man. Only got about three games left. That’s definitely what’s on your mind, definitely hoping you get that chance, but that time will come sooner or later. You just hope it’s sooner.”
Greenlaw knows what this team and franchise are capable of and there’s comfort in the familiarity of San Francisco.
Greenlaw is close with fellow linebacker Fred Warner. The two have historically trained together during NFL offseasons and they have combined to form one of the NFL’s best linebacking duos.
49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said after the Rams game that Greenlaw is his favorite teammate he has played with.
“I appreciate Nick. Nick just talking, but I appreciate it, though,” Greenlaw said with a laugh. “No, that’s big time, man. I heard that from him. I actually was kind of getting some recovery done. I heard him kind of talking about me a little bit, so it’s cool to get that, those words from a great player, a great teammate. That’s who you do it for anyways. I go out every day, play my ass off so I can get the respect of those guys and my coaches, so for me to have battled as long as I have and for him to say that, it just makes everything worth it.”
Those relationships and the respect from San Francisco’s other defensive stars should help the 49ers in their efforts to re-sign Greenlaw.
While joining KNBR, Greenlaw was also asked to dissect what he’s seen from San Francisco in 2024 while sidelined and why this season hasn’t played out like anticipated.
“We’ve just got to play with a lot more heart. We’ve just got to leave it out on the table, everybody on the team do. I feel like we’ve still got the same guys and same mentality that’s out there that we’ve had in the past. It’s just with this league we’ve got to bring it every year, bring it every game. Just because we’re the 49ers doesn’t mean teams are going to try to roll over or they’re going to try to let us go by. We’ve still got to go out there and take it.
“I just felt like with injuries it made it a lot tougher, because a lot of the guys that we, CMC, Brandon, guys that are tough, blue-collar, hard-working guys, we didn’t have those guys out there. Sometimes when you don’t got all the parts to the machine, the machine don’t go as well like it used to. I think we’ve just got to get everybody healthy,” Greenlaw said.
In his return against the Rams, Greenlaw flashed again with a quick eight tackles. Greenlaw exited midway through the contest with Achilles and knee soreness, though.
Greenlaw says he expects to be good for San Francisco’s Week 16 date at Miami.
“My knee was a little off, a little tweaky. I feel better this week. Luckily we had a few extra days to go, so I definitely feel better this week. Just doing everything I can to make sure I can go Sunday. I should be up, no doubt should be able to go Sunday,” Greenlaw said.
Kickoff between San Francisco (6-8) and Miami (6-8) is set for 1:25 p.m. PT from Hard Rock Stadium with the game set to be televised on CBS.
