SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers star linebacker Fred Warner starts the offseason program with no limitations from the ankle injury that sidelined him for most of last season.
Warner went down with a right ankle injury on Oct. 12 at Tampa Bay and missed the final 11 games of the regular season and both playoff games for San Francisco. He was able to return to practice in January and had a chance to play if the Niners had reached the NFC
title game.
Now he's back at full strength at the start of the offseason program for the 49ers on Monday.
“I’m feeling extremely blessed, grateful to be back, feeling great,” he said. “No restrictions. Just being able to jump right in. Returning to practice kind of gave me all the confidence in the world to really attack training during the offseason. Not having to start from doing rehab and everything just going from ground zero building up just like I would any other offseason. It’s been great.”
Warner had been a first-team All-Pro three straight seasons from 2022-24 and also made the squad in 2020. His 947 tackles are the second most for the team, behind Patrick Willis’ 950, as far as records go back to 2000.
Warner had missed only one game in his eight-year career before the injury last season, sitting out in 2021 with a hamstring injury. He played most of the 2024 campaign with a broken bone in his ankle and still earned All-Pro honors.
While Warner is back, the situation around receiver Brandon Aiyuk remains unresolved.
San Francisco placed Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list late last season after previously voiding $27 million guaranteed in his contract for 2026 for failing to participate in meetings and other team activities. Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million extension before the 2024 season.
Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have said they don't expect Aiyuk to play for San Francisco again but the team hasn't cut him yet in case there's a possibility of a trade.
“Do I think it’s a high probability? Likely no.” Lynch said. “But, is there a chance? Yeah, I think there’s a chance. I think I was candid with you guys in saying at the end of the season that he’s likely played his last snap for us. We all are in concert on where we’re going with Brandon.”
Lynch said the team will wait at least until after the draft before making a move.
“I think we’ll see it through here,” he said. “We’ll focus on our draft. If something happens there, great. If not, we’ll re-evaluate it. He’s still a member of this roster right now and we’ll treat him as such.”
Aiyuk signed the lucrative extension just before the start of the 2024 season following a lengthy contract hold-in that kept him out of training camp. He was coming off a 2023 season when he had 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns and was a second-team All-Pro.
Aiyuk had only 25 catches for 374 yards in seven games in 2024 before going down with a knee injury. He hasn't played since.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
