The San Francisco 49ers made a key trade, and then they invited back one of their former standouts after his Denver release. Dre Greenlaw is returning to the 49ers after a short stint with the Broncos, according to a post on X by Ian Rapoport.
“Reunion: The #49ers are signing back one of their former stars, agreeing to terms with LB Dre Greenlaw, sources say. The former SF draft pick spent last season with the #Broncos and now returns on a 1-year, $7.5M deal.”
Greenlaw had standout seasons with the 49ers in 2022 and 2023. He totaled 127 and 120 tackles, respectively, in those years while starting 15 games each season.
49ers reunite with LB Dre Greenlaw
He will turn 29 years old in May, and the 49ers believe he still has something left in the tank.
Greenlaw didn’t fit well under Sean Payton, according to The Athletic.
“He’s got his way of doing things,” Greenlaw said of Payton. “You’re going to be practicing three hours on Wednesday, three hours on Friday. Shanahan is the complete opposite. He wants you fresh. It was just two completely different mindsets. They both have their ways of doing things, and it’s for good reasons, too.”
Greenlaw made a big comeback from a serious injury, suffering a torn Achilles while running onto the field from the sidelines in Super Bowl LVIII, back in 2024.
He appeared in only eight games for the Broncos this past season, totaling 43 tackles. He also added 10 tackles in two playoff contests.
The 49ers expressed that they didn’t want to see Greenlaw go to the Broncos back in 2025, according to Sports Illustrated.
“He’s such a game-changing player,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said at the time. “There are not many needle-movers in football. He's a needle-mover. It's hard.
“We weren't done with Dre, but we had to go through the process. And other teams were aggressive in their pursuit of him. We were kind of forced to be somewhat reactive. And then when the market was set, we wanted to go have a conversation with our guy who we have a lot of respect and love for.”
