San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw was seen jawing at Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton during his team's Week 4 victory, and again after the final whistle. Now the linebacker has explained what was behind it.
Speaking with the San Francisco Chronicle after the game, Greenlaw said his message was simple and came from a place of payback. He felt Payton disrespected him during his lone season in Denver, and he wanted him to know it.
"I told him to get the [expletive] off the field," Greenlaw said. "That's it."
Greenlaw said he doesn't remember the full details of what he said in the moment. "I blacked out a little," he told the Chronicle.
The exchange happened as Payton walked past, brushing Greenlaw's side with his right hand. 49ers
veteran linebacker Fred Warner stepped in and pulled his longtime linebacker partner away.
He backed up the intensity with production. Greenlaw led the 49ers with 12 tackles, his highest total since Dec. 25, 2023, and forced a fumble.
The animosity, Greenlaw said, traces back to how his time in Denver ended. He signed a three-year, $31.5 million deal in March 2025 but missed the Broncos' first six games with a torn quadriceps and the final two with a hamstring strain. Denver released him in March after he logged 43 tackles in eight games.
Greenlaw said Payton stopped acknowledging him, and that they hadn't spoken since Week 12. He believes the head coach was frustrated with the return on the team's investment.
"He would walk by, I would walk by, and he wouldn't even look at me because of my injury," Greenlaw said.
The way the split came about stung just as much. Greenlaw said his agent, not Payton, informed him the Broncos were cutting him.
"The disrespect," Greenlaw said. "He couldn't be man to man and call my phone and say, 'We're going to cut you.'"
Greenlaw said that history left him "1,000 percent" more amped than usual for the matchup.
Payton, for his part, brushed off the moment. He said he told Kyle Shanahan afterward that he thinks the world of Greenlaw and loves how he plays with emotion. "So it's all good," Payton said.
Greenlaw was careful to separate his issue with Payton from the rest of the Broncos. He said he loves the players he shared the field with last year, and that they know how he plays the game. "It's all love and respect," he said.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Dre Greenlaw reveals why he wanted to 'disrespect' Broncos head coach
