Dre Greenlaw clearly has beef with Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton.
During the first quarter of Sunday's game at Levi's Stadium, the San Francisco 49ers linebacker made a tackle near the Broncos' sideline and then pointed at Payton and yelled that the coach shouldn't have cut him (with some colorful language). Greenlaw also chirped at Payton later in the game, and after the final whistle, he had more words for the coach, but teammate Fred Warner pulled him away.
After the game, a 24-14 win for the Niners, Greenlaw said it was a "very" emotional game for him. Greenlaw finished the day with 12 tackles and a forced fumble.
Dre Greenlaw had even more words for Sean Payton after the game. You can see/hear Fred Warner clearly pulling him away. https://t.co/jU4C8K1U9g
pic.twitter.com/KiMd0ilh71
— Romi Bean (@Romi_Bean) October 5, 2026
In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch, Greenlaw explained that Payton stopped talking to the linebacker in Week 12 last season in the aftermath of his lingering injury. Greenlaw also took exception with Payton informing the player of his release through his agent this offseason.
"The disrespect," Greenlaw told Branch. "He couldn't be man-to-man and call my phone and say, 'We're going to cut you.'"
Payton was asked after the game if he as an issue with the ex-Denver linebacker.
"No, I think the world of him," Payton said. "You know, really, I love everything about him. And so, he plays with that emotion, and so, all good."
Sean Payton on 49ers ILB Dre Greenlaw constantly going after him: pic.twitter.com/yUjb37G65F
— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) October 4, 2026
Greenlaw signed a three-year, $31.5 million contract with Denver in 2025, but he missed nine games last fall (eight due to injury and one due to suspension). The Broncos saved about $8 million in 2026 salary cap space when they released Greenlaw this spring, opting to move forward with Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos coach Sean Payton reacts to Dre Greenlaw’s fiery in-game message
