Fred Warner is back in the mix for the San Francisco 49ers, and he’s already making his presence felt - not just on the field, but in the locker room and beyond. After missing most of the 2025 season with an ankle injury, the All-Pro linebacker joined The Pat McAfee Show to share his thoughts on the 49ers’ newest addition: defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
Morris, the former Falcons head coach, steps into a big role in San Francisco, taking over for Robert Saleh. And while Warner wasn’t part of the hiring process, he’s all in on the move.
“I love the hire,” Warner said. “We’re not mad at all.
We love the hire, man. All I hear is great things about Raheem.
Wherever he’s been, it sounds like he’s been beloved everywhere he's been.”
That kind of endorsement from one of the league’s top defenders carries weight. Warner’s not just offering a polite thumbs-up - he’s genuinely excited to get to work with Morris and see how he plans to shape the defense. And it’s clear that while the coordinator may be new, Warner expects the core identity of the 49ers’ defense to stay intact.
“We've always run a 4-3 defense, just telling the D-ends and the D-line to get off the rock and letting the backend just kind of play with vision and ball out, break, play fast, play violent,” Warner said. “And I expect nothing less going forward.”
That’s the 49ers’ defensive DNA: fast, physical, and aggressive. And with Warner returning to action alongside stars like Nick Bosa and rising talent Mykel Williams, Morris inherits a unit that’s loaded with playmakers. The pieces are there - now it’s about how Morris puts them together.
But Warner’s impact goes beyond the Xs and Os. While he was sidelined, he had a front-row seat to watch how the team responded without him - and he came away with a deeper appreciation for the culture head coach Kyle Shanahan has built.
“Honestly, you learn a lot when you’re behind the scenes and not watching from the sideline,” Warner said. “I think we have one of the best cultures and standards of any team in the entire NFL, and you really learn that when you go through hard times as we have.”
The 49ers faced their share of adversity last season. With multiple key players out, including Warner, the team leaned on its depth - and found ways to win. That resilience, Warner believes, speaks volumes about the foundation in place.
“When you have a bunch of guys who are kind of your key players, guys who you are paying a lot of money to win you a game on Sundays, and they’re on the sidelines - you’re asking guys to come up and play meaningful minutes. We found ways to win,” he said. “We have the best head coach in the game, Kyle Shanahan.”
It’s worth noting just how rare Warner’s absence was. Before the ankle injury that ended his 2025 campaign, he had missed just one game in eight seasons - a single contest in 2021 due to a hamstring issue. That kind of durability is almost unheard of at his position, and it speaks to both his preparation and toughness.
Now, with his rehab behind him and a new defensive coordinator at the helm, Warner is looking to return to form and help anchor a defense that has championship aspirations. The 49ers have the talent, the leadership, and now a fresh voice in Morris to guide the unit forward.
If Warner’s optimism is any indication, San Francisco’s defense isn’t just trying to bounce back - it’s aiming to evolve. And with No. 54 back in the middle of it all, the Niners’ defense could be as dangerous as ever.