Week 4 meant something a little extra to San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw. The eight year NFL veteran left the Niners for the Denver Broncos before the 2025 season, only to be released by the franchise last offseason. He returned to the Bay Area, where he's only again emerged as a key starter for a team on a 4-0 heater to open the year.
That record includes Sunday's home win over the Broncos and head coach Sean Payton. Greenlaw forced a fumble and logged a season-high 12 tackles in San Francisco's 24-14 win. He wasn't content with letting his play do the talking. After the game, as Payton jogged to midfield to shake 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan's hand, he could be heard pointing and telling his former coach to "get the [expletive] off
my field."
The video is below. Language is NSFW.
"Hey! You get the f-ck off my field!"
— Scotty Gange (@Scotty_G6) October 5, 2026
A close look at Dre Greenlaw yelling at Sean Payton after the Broncos-49ers game. pic.twitter.com/TxQy5dbR5u
Greenlaw explained the outburst after the game. As it turns out, he did not appreciate the way his Denver departure was handled. Here's what he told the San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch.
Spoke with Dre Greenlaw after the #49ers win. Why was he screaming at Sean Payton?
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) October 5, 2026
It was payback: disrepect for disrepect.
"I told him to get the f--- off the field. That's it: ‘Get the f--- off the field.'"https://t.co/C5X4mCJ36y #broncos
“The disrespect,” Greenlaw told Branch, referring to how the Broncos released him. “He couldn’t be man to man and call my phone and say, ‘We’re going to cut you.’”
Payton, however, was unfazed by the one-sided shouting match.
“I said this to Kyle afterwards: I think the world of him,” Payton told reporters. “I really love everything about him. He plays with that emotion. So it’s all good.”
This is the second time Payton has landed under the microscope in the past few weeks. Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald told a story about the Denver coach accusing him of cheating in 2024. Macdonald later apologized for his comments.
Payton's team is 2-2. His quarterback's average completion istraveling just 2.4 yards downfielddespite trading away a first round pick of Jaylen Waddle last spring. He's got bigger things to worry about than getting off Greenlaw's field.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Dre Greenlaw explains NSFW outburst at Sean Payton: 'The disrespect'
