The San Francisco 49ers have had one of the toughest offseasons in the NFL, losing a significant amount of talent in free agency. Among those departures was linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who signed a three-year, $35 million contract with the Denver Broncos.
However, according to the latest reports, San Francisco was still pushing for Greenlaw to stay — even after he had already agreed to terms with the Broncos.
NFL Insider Reveals 49ers Tried To Flip Dre Greenlaw’s Decision
Greenlaw was selected in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the 49ers and recorded 295 solo tackles, 18 tackles for loss, three interceptions, and 3.5 sacks in 64 career games with San Francisco. He was a PFWA All-Rookie selection and started 56 games.
However, Greenlaw missed 15 games last year due to a torn Achilles and has never played a full season since his breakout rookie year. That may have been one of the reasons the 49ers initially chose not to re-sign him.
Greenlaw agreed to terms with the Broncos in free agency, but something changed with the 49ers. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team made a late push to convince him to stay in San Francisco.
“You know, the Niners were trying to get back Dre Greenlaw, even after Denver had an agreement done with him,” Schefter said on Denver’s Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM. “They were pushing to get that done. And they were trying to flip his decision.
“The Niners tried to flip Dre Greenlaw back to San Francisco. And I think they were pretty persuasive, but not persuasive enough. I think Dre Greenlaw stood his ground and kind of stayed with Denver.”
“The 49ers were trying to get back Dre Greenlaw even after Denver had an agreement done with him” – @AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/4vWs34lceq
— Denver Broncos 365 (@DailyBroncos) March 17, 2025
Greenlaw’s three-year, $35 million deal with the Broncos initially looked like a clear case of the 49ers not wanting to commit that kind of money to a player coming off a major injury. However, there’s a catch — Greenlaw has no guaranteed money on his contract after this season, effectively making it a one-year, $11.5 million deal.
That could be one reason the 49ers wanted to re-sign him, possibly on a similar contract. Another factor could be the mass exodus of talent in free agency, which may have forced the team to reconsider keeping some of its players.
Notably, the 49ers released fullback Kyle Juszczyk on the same day as Greenlaw, only to re-sign him on March 15.
Regardless, San Francisco’s outlook for the 2025 season appears bleak after a rough free agency period. The team is projected to carry more than $86 million in dead cap space in 2025.