Should he be an All-Pro? The case in favor of 49ers linebacker Fred Warner
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner has a strong case to be an All-Pro this season.
He’s been the heart and soul of a good defense that lost cornerback Richard Sherman and defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Dee Ford for a majority of the season.
Warner took the next step and finished the season with career highs in tackles (125) and interceptions (2). Warner coming into Sunday was ranked as the top linebacker by Pro Football Focus with a grade of 89.1.
In Sunday’s season finale against the Seattle Seahawks, Warner had a game-high 10 tackles and recorded his first sack of the season. Warner has played 51 games in a row and has arguably been the team’s most reliable player on defense since he was drafted in 2018.
Last season, during the 49ers’ run to the Super Bowl, the team had three main leaders on defense in Sherman, Warner and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. Buckner and Sherman were both captains last year and were both All-Pro selections.
During the offseason, the 49ers traded Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts. A year later, all signs point to Sherman leaving the team in free agency. Last month, Sherman said a return to San Francisco was “not looking likely” because of the team’s lack of pending cap space.
That leaves Warner, who was named a captain this season for the first time in his professional career, as the leader of the defense going forward. Warner in the offseason will be eligible for a contract extension. Keeping Warner happy and retaining him on a long-term deal will likely be one of the team’s top priorities this offseason.
“I’m going to let all that stuff sort itself out,” Warner said with a laugh when asked if he would play another down without a new contract. “I have no idea what is to come and whatnot.”
Giving Warner a contract extension will be be even more important because of the likely departure of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed a report that Saleh will interview for the Atlanta Falcons head coaching job Monday.
“I know how much the players respect Robert as a coach and love him as a person,” Shanahan said. “... I was very happy with what he did throughout the whole year. I will be very surprised if we don’t lose him. I don’t know what’s wrong with people if they don’t hire him. I mean, he’s as good as you can get... I hope everyone’s not very smart and doesn’t hire him so I can keep them, but I’m expecting not to have him. We have a lot of other good guys on our staff and I know there will be some number of options.”
Warner added, “(Saleh has) meant so much to me from the moment I came out of the draft. The belief he had in me and continued to have in me since I stepped on the field with the 49ers, I can’t thank him enough. That guy is an amazing coach and if he does get the opportunity to go be a head coach somewhere I’ll be so happy for him and he’ll do an amazing job.”