3 players SF 49ers must offer extensions to in 2021
No. 1: SF 49ers Linebacker Fred Warner
Last but not least is “All-Pro Fred”!
Yup, it happened, everyone. Linebacker Fred Warner received the nod as one of the best players in football in his third year with the SF 49ers by being named to the 2020 All-Pro first team. It is now official Warner is one of, if not, the best middle linebacker in the NFL.
This is a guy the Niners absolutely cannot let even come close to testing the free-agent waters. He’s due to be a free agent following the 2021 season, so a contract extension absolutely needs to be figured out before training camp this year, or else most teams in the NFL will come running to try and pry Warner away from San Francisco.
San Francisco 49ers
Warner has become the undisputed leader of this team, and at only 24 years of age, he can possibly go down as one of the best SF 49ers linebackers of all time. His stat line during the 2020 season was utterly flawless, where he contributed two interceptions, six pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, one sack and a team-high 125 total tackles. Oh, I almost forgot, he also chipped in seven QB hits.
Not bad for a guy taken in the third round of the 2018 draft.
Warner is truly a jack of all trades, as on any given Sunday, viewers aren’t sure if his biggest strength is pass coverage or ball-hawking ability. He even got the nod from Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers midway through the season as being the game’s best middle linebacker.
Now all this points to one question: Just how much will Warner cost to keep around following 2021? Well, let’s put it this way: a lot.
Considering other NFL linebackers like Bobby Wagner, C.J. Moseley and Za’Darius Smith all make north of $16 million, you can be sure Warner will be looking at a contract paying him upward of $19 million a season for the next five years.
Warner deserves it, especially after making both the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams this year. Players of his IQ level and athletic prowess don’t come around often. So when they do, it’s in the team’s interest to keep them around as long as possible.
Not only is he a beast on the field, but he is the heart and soul in the SF 49ers locker room.
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If the Niners play their cards right, Warner can spend the entirety of his career donning the red and gold. Let’s hope San Francisco does right by him and pays him in the coming months.