Why Dre Greenlaw is happy to be back in San Francisco

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Before linebacker Dre Greenlaw signed with the Denver Broncos in the spring of 2025, he was already questioning whether leaving the San Francisco 49ers was the right thing to do.

By the time coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch flew to Texas to try to talk Greenlaw into staying with the only NFL team he'd ever known, Greenlaw had already committed to signing with the Broncos.

Despite their efforts and true to his word, Greenlaw followed through and signed with Denver. What followed was a season that Greenlaw now calls "real tough." The Broncos released him on March 12, almost a year to the day after he'd signed a three-year, $35 million deal.

Hitting the open market for the second time in as many years, Greenlaw had no doubt that he wanted to continue his football career in the place he wished he'd never left.

"I didn't think about [going] nowhere else, honestly," Greenlaw said. "I was coming back here."

So it was that the Niners and Greenlaw quickly agreed to a one-year, $7.5 million deal on March 13. It's a reunion that made sense for both parties given all that Greenlaw meant to the organization and it to him since he arrived as a fifth-round choice in the 2019 NFL draft.

There are plenty of football reasons that the 49ers prioritized Greenlaw's return but it goes beyond the X's and O's. In his first stint in San Francisco, Greenlaw was viewed as the heartbeat of the team, a passionate player who provided the blueprint of what Shanahan and Lynch want a 49er to be.

In the months since Greenlaw returned, that's already been felt, according to Shanahan.

"I think there's a boost for everybody," Shanahan said. "Everyone loves Dre being around, just the way he carries himself and how into football he is. And it's really cool when I talk to the team to sit back there, see those guys shoulder to shoulder, and I've seen them like that their whole careers together, there was one year off and it's pretty cool to get them back for everybody."

That's not to say Greenlaw's return comes without the usual injury caveats. It's possible he might not have come available again had he been able to stay healthy and productive in Denver.

As has often been the case in his career, Greenlaw endured an injury-plagued year with the Broncos, appearing in just eight games because of quadriceps and hamstring issues. He also took some time to return from the torn left Achilles he suffered as a Niner in Super Bowl LVIII.

Greenlaw finished with 43 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble while averaging 38.6 snaps per game. Throughout, Greenlaw found his mind occasionally wandering to what things would have been like had he never left the 49ers and running mate/close friend Fred Warner.

Months removed from that situation, Greenlaw said the year away gave him added perspective on the importance of relationships in a building with coaches, teammates and staff members. He doesn't necessarily regret the decision to leave but he acknowledges that he's thought about how things would have been different if he hadn't.

"It's just part of ball," Greenlaw said. "It's part of life. Life ain't never been just going the way you think it is going to go or going the way you want it to go ... You definitely have times where when things weren't going good that you kind of felt like 'Damn.' But I don't think none of it was a mistake. I wouldn't say that I'd do it again, but I'd let it play out the same because I'm just always thankful to be where my feet are and there's no telling where I'd be now that things went the way it did last year."

History shows that a healthy Greenlaw often means good things for the 49ers.

In his first six seasons with the team, San Francisco was 52-24 (including the postseason), allowed 20 points per game, posted 1.6 takeaways per game and added 2 defensive expected points per game when Greenlaw played.

In the games Greenlaw missed because of quad, calf, groin, back, hamstring, knee and Achilles injuries, the Niners went 16-20, allowed 22.3 points per game, averaged 1.2 takeaways per game and had a minus-1.3 defensive EPA.

"I think his ability to elevate everybody around him is what's really special about him," Warner said. "I know he'll help all the young guys in that room. He'll help me, help the rest of our defense and our team get where we want to go."

Greenlaw is now back in his weak side linebacker position next to Warner. If healthy and available, he will step right back into that starting position, according to Shanahan. Of course, there's still a long time before the season opens in Australia and the Niners plan to be smart about how they deploy Greenlaw in practice to try to get him to and through a healthy season.

Greenlaw did not participate in the organized team activity that was open to media last week and the 49ers figure to continue to be cautious with him during the offseason program. They'll likely do the same come training camp.

For now, Greenlaw says he feels the Achilles injury is a thing of the past. He says any lingering problems from that injury dissipated throughout last season. About halfway through, Greenlaw says, it began to feel normal. He now says he's "good to go" and ready to play a prominent role on a team ready to compete in the daunting NFC West division.

"Nothing is promised, nothing is guaranteed," Greenlaw said. "I had to learn a lot about myself last year and then just take a step back. I didn't get a chance to play football a lot. I'm just grateful to be able to be healthy right now to play football."br/]