Fred Warner is back - and he’s sounding every bit like the All-Pro linebacker 49ers fans have come to know and trust.
After a grueling road to recovery from a season-ending ankle injury that sidelined him during the 2025 campaign, Warner shared a promising update while speaking at Radio Row. “I’m feeling great, man.
Seriously, I feel amazing,” he said. “So happy to be feeling like myself again after such a horrific injury.”
That’s big news for San Francisco, because when Warner’s right, this defense hits another gear. But his return isn’t just about one player. It’s about a team that weathered a storm of injuries and adversity, and still managed to put together a 13-6 season - even if it ended with a tough playoff exit in Seattle.
San Francisco’s 2025 season was a war of attrition. Alongside Warner, the defense was without Nick Bosa and promising rookie Mykel Williams.
That’s a lot of firepower missing from the front seven, yet the 49ers still found ways to compete. They didn’t just survive - they battled.
And that fight didn’t go unnoticed inside the locker room.
“It was just like any other season where you don’t achieve your goals going into that year,” Warner said, reflecting on the team’s early playoff exit. “Of course, here with the 49ers, the standard is Super Bowls - winning them, not just going to them.”
That standard isn’t just lip service in Santa Clara. It’s ingrained in the culture - from the front office, to the coaching staff, to veterans like Warner and Kyle Juszczyk, who’ve seen the highs and lows of postseason football. Warner recalled Juszczyk’s recent comments, echoing a sentiment that’s clearly resonated throughout the building.
“You can’t say the season wasn’t some sort of a success with the odds we were up against,” Warner said. “Not even in season, but going into the season - losing the players we lost, and all the narratives surrounding our team.”
He’s not wrong. The 49ers leaned heavily on youth in 2025.
And while that’s not always ideal in a win-now league, it could pay off in a big way moving forward. Warner pointed to the meaningful snaps played by young contributors - the kind of experience that doesn’t show up in box scores, but builds the foundation for future success.
“A lot of young players stepped in and played some meaningful minutes for us, which will be beneficial for us going forward,” Warner said. “So there were a lot of good things to take away from it.”
That’s not to say Warner is in the business of moral victories. He’s a tone-setter - the heartbeat of the defense - and he’s not satisfied unless the 49ers are hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. But his outlook heading into 2026 is clear: this team has the pieces, the experience, and now, a healthy Fred Warner leading the charge.
The 49ers didn’t get where they wanted to go last season. But they didn’t fold, either. And with Warner back in the fold, reenergized and ready to reclaim his place among the league’s elite, San Francisco’s defense just got a whole lot scarier.
The standard hasn’t changed. The mission hasn’t either. And now, with their leader back at full strength, the Niners are gearing up for another run - this time with unfinished business on their minds.