Fred Warner reveals surprising moment he knew 49ers playoff return was possible
Fred Warner reveals surprising moment he knew 49ers playoff return was possible originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
It’s remarkable, to say the least, that 49ers linebacker Fred Warner is in a position to return to play so quickly after what seemed to be a devastating and career-altering injury, given the timeline.
Oct. 14: Warner undergoes surgery to repair a dislocated and broken ankle.
Jan. 13: The 49ers open Warner’s practice window, paving the way for the star defender to return if San Francisco can advance in the NFL playoffs past the Seattle Seahawks.
“Just so grateful, blessed to be back. I think, obviously, when all this happened, I didn’t really think about the possibility of returning in-season,” Warner told reporters Wednesday. “But the way things progressed, and being able to have this opportunity to be back with my teammates and have a chance of helping them win this week and so on and so forth, that’s my only goal going forward.”
54 is BACK at practice 💪 pic.twitter.com/M0v1RSoP8P
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) January 14, 2026
Warner admitted that the initial outlook was that his season was done for. But after the initial portion of rehabilitating after surgery, an accelerated path to return materialized.
He said he asked his doctor “a few weeks after surgery” if there was any possibility he could return.
“[The doctor] said yeah, it’s a possibility. The first six weeks when you’re non-weight-bearing, those are all kind of the same,” Warner explained. “And then after that, you can manipulate the way that you rehab going forward aggressively – safely, of course – to ultimately get back to this point, so that’s kind of what we did.”
“Still got a little ways to go until being fully cleared to be step out there in a game.”
Warner said he felt ready to make his return to the field for the 49ers’ wild-card win over the Philadelphia Eagles, but obviously, caution took precedence.
“If he feels good and tells me he is good, I’m probably going to think he’s good and trust him to get out there,” coach Kyle Shanahan said to reporters Tuesday. “But you can’t always think with your heart and emotionally and so you ask doctors where he is at.
“All the things that these guys have to pass, just protocols that we have in with just sprinting and jumping and things like that and he’s got to hit all those before we feel it’s safe.”
Shanahan said the team is eyeing for a potential return for Warner in the NFC Championship Game, if San Francisco can advance past Seattle on Saturday.
Warner will have some final marks to reach before he is cleared to bring his on-field impact to gameday. Nevertheless, his teammates and coaches already feel his impact at practice.
“We’re taking it day-by-day,” Warner said. “Last week, they said they weren’t going to open my window, and my window is now opened. So, we’re just taking it day-by-day.”
The day-by-day evaluation and final benchmarks to reach may seem tedious for someone who feels ready to return now, but Warner remains grateful to be in the position he is now and marvels at how well his recovery has gone so far.
“I think it speaks to everybody that has been in my corner this entire time…” Warner explained. “…the trainers, the strength staff – the plan that they put together for me, helping push me along. I can go down the line of everybody that was involved, but it truly did take an army to help get me to this point. God bless my wife – she was eight, nine months pregnant trying to take care of me when I was on that scooter.
“So, like I said, I’m just super blessed to be right where I’m at.”
Warner missed the 49ers’ final 11 regular-season games after he suffered his gruesome injury in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Just three months later, he miraculously has a chance to get back onto the gridiron.
