49ers notebook: Warner feeling good after absence; Sherman has contract talks
The 49ers took a lighthearted approach to Fred Warner’s 10-day absence while on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
“I guess you could say I have fresh legs. That’s been the joke around the building,” Warner said Thursday in his first interview session since being reinstated to the active roster Wednesday.
San Francisco’s star linebacker wouldn’t elaborate on what led to him landing on the list as the league emphasizes privacy, but Warner did say he feels well enough to play in Sunday’s season opener against the Arizona Cardinals. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said he didn’t notice any difference in Warner at practice the last two days and expects him to have a full workload against quarterback Kyler Murray and the Cardinals.
“It’s hard knowing that you are possibly letting the team down and everybody misses you and missed all that time,” Warner said. “But at the same time, I’m just grateful it happened when it did and not during the season and being back at the time that I am able to get going for Week 1. That’s a blessing. But yeah, it wasn’t a fun process.”
Warner was initially placed on the list Aug. 31. He was voted a team captain for the first time while he was away. He joined right tackle Mike McGlinchey, left tackle Trent Williams and defensive lineman Arik Armstead as first-time captains with the team.
“Being a captain, man, I think that’s the biggest achievement I have accomplished to this date,” said Warner. “It says so much when your peers respect you and it’s just an honor for me to be able to serve them. That’s all I want to do is make sure I have their backs and whatever they need they can count on me.”
The teams other captains: quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, tight end George Kittle and cornerback Richard Sherman.
Sherman says three more years, though 49ers future is uncertain
Sherman, who gave an impassioned opinion on social justice protests Thursday, also hinted at the future of his career.
The All-Pro cornerback said his wife, Ashley, has capped his playing career at three more seasons. He’s in the final season of his three-year contract he signed with the 49ers before the 2018 campaign.
“I don’t call any shots after that,” Sherman said. “So, three years after this and if the good San Francisco 49ers would love to keep me on this ballclub, I’d love to be here but after that then I’m gonna go into the (broadcast) booth.”
Sherman, who represents himself as his own agent, has said he’s had discussions with the 49ers about a contract extension, but the talks have been tabled in order to focus on the upcoming season. Sherman turned 32 in March.
Dee Ford says his calf is recovered, plans to play all downs
49ers defensive end Dee Ford was used primarily on passing downs throughout last season while he appeared in 11 games and played just 22 percent of the defensive snaps.
He said at the start of training camp his goal was to play in all 16 games, which he last did during his contract year with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018 when he made the Pro Bowl and led the NFL with seven forced fumbles. But Ford was sidelined halfway through training camp last month with an injury the 49ers called calf irritation.
“The calf feels fine. It’s just one of those things when you’re going consecutive days of training camp, when you’re dealing with a calf, you don’t want to risk it getting to that Achilles tendon,” Ford said. “So at the end of the day we had to jump on it because our goal, and especially my goal, which is the team’s goal, is to be there 16 games plus postseason.”
Ford, along with fellow pass rusher Nick Bosa, has not been listed on the injury report this week after missing roughly two weeks of practice. It marked the second straight training camp with San Francisco he missed due to injury. Last year it was knee tendinitis that led to offseason surgery.