Fred Warner, considered one of the NFL's premier linebackers, is fully cleared for the San Francisco 49ers' offseason program and enters the 2026 season healthy after a severe ankle injury sidelined him for most of 2025. The injury, a fracture and dislocation of his right ankle sustained in a Week 6 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led to season-ending surgery and caused Warner to miss the final 11 games of the year.
This absence contributed to a significant drop for Warner on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026 list, where he was ranked 54th, a sharp decline from his 16th position the previous year. The list is determined by player votes based on the prior season's performance.
"I always believed strongly that everything happens for a reason," Warner told The Athletic. "And it would be wrong to abandon that in the toughest times." The linebacker appeared in only six games before his surgery, recording 51 tackles, three passes defended, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Prior to the injury, Warner was on pace for another All-Pro season. In May 2025, he signed a three-year, $63 million extension with the 49ers, making him the highest-paid linebacker in the league at the time. His recovery has been noted as speedy, given the severity of the injury. There was even a possibility he could have returned for the NFC Championship Game had the 49ers advanced.
Warner, a four-time Pro Bowler, has accumulated 948 tackles, 38 tackles for loss, 30 quarterback hits, 10.0 sacks, 17 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, and 10 interceptions across eight seasons. His career has been entirely with the 49ers. The team's playoff aspirations for the upcoming season hinge on the health of key players like Warner.
With a perceived slight from his peers reflected in the Top 100 rankings, Warner is entering the 2026 campaign with a renewed determination to demonstrate his continued dominance on the field.