SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers announced their three-year extension with All-Pro Fred Warner that makes him the highest-paid off-ball linebacker in NFL history.
Warner signed the deal worth $63 million with more than $56 million guaranteed on Thursday, keeping him under contract with the team through the 2029 season.
"Fred’s leadership is exemplary and his approach to his craft is contagious,” general manager John Lynch said in a statement.
“Fred sets the tone for our entire team with the consistency, speed and physicality with which he plays. Off the field, his passion, energy, and professionalism are second to none and truly embody what it means to be a Niner. We are extremely proud to get this extension done and lock Fred in for the future.”
The deal with Warner is the third extension San Francisco reached with one of its star players since the draft, having previously given quarterback Brock Purdy a $265 million, five-year extension and tight end George Kittle a $76.4 million, four-year deal.
The Niners are hoping to bounce back from a 6-11 season and get back to their 2023 form when they made it to the Super Bowl for the second time since Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan took over in 2017.
“We’re here to stay, baby,” Warner said in a video posted by the team. “It was a dream when I got drafted here in 2018 and it's still a dream to this day. I know we’ve been through some great times these first seven years but the story is only beginning. We know what we’re after. Let’s go chase it. Let’s go get it.”
Warner had two years remaining on the five-year, $95 million extension he signed in 2021 that was the richest at the time for an off-ball linebacker and ranked second to Baltimore’s Roquan Smith before this new deal.
The $21 million per year for Warner tops Smith’s $20 million average to once again make Warner the highest-paid off-ball linebacker in terms of average annual value.
Warner has shown he deserves it as he has developed into one of the top defensive players in the NFL after being drafted in the third round in 2021. He has been a first-team All-Pro the past three seasons and in four of the past five as one of the key cogs in San Francisco’s defense thanks to his ability to thrive in both run and pass defense.
The only active players currently under contract with more first-team All-Pro selections than the four for Warner are Bobby Wagner (six) and Tyreek Hill (five).
Warner had 131 tackles, five tackles for loss, two interceptions, seven passes defensed and four forced fumbles last season despite playing most of the season with a broken bone in his ankle.
Warner has 10 sacks, 10 interceptions, 15 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, 36 tackles for loss and 53 passes defensed in his first seven seasons. His 896 career tackles rank fourth most in the NFL since 2018 and has missed only one game in seven seasons.
Warner is one of three active players with at least 10 sacks, interceptions and forced fumbles, along with Minnesota safety Harrison Smith and Tampa Bay linebacker Lavonte David.
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FILE - San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner (54) warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Dec. 26, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Jennifer Stewart, File)
