San Francisco 49ers All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner is often brought up as an example of toughness and competitiveness on the football field, but his name was recently mentioned in the context of…dating advice?
The NFL media personality Kay Adams recently brought up Warner while giving some advice on dating to her social media followers:
Love advice for the fellas.
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) March 21, 2025
(The "tough" is implied.) https://t.co/QEYfWAig8W pic.twitter.com/j3X4Vli9kQ
In the video, Adams was asked the question, "How do I move past the talking stage with a girl?" She starts off by saying that you just have to take a chance and tell the girl how you feel about her which does open up the potential for rejection, but that’s inevitable. Adams ends the clip by saying, “If Fred Warner can have an All-Pro 17-game season on a broken ankle, you can surely deal with a little, 'Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t like you back.'"
Adams is out here with the tough, but necessary, love.
Her point about Warner is well taken. The 28-year-old linebacker did fight through a fracture in his ankle during the 2024 season and still looked like the Fred Warner we see year after year. He had 131 combined tackles on the season and recorded one sack, five tackles for loss, and two interceptions.
One interception was an incredible pick six against the New England Patriots which was actually the play on which he fractured his ankle and had to miss the rest of that game. Nonetheless, he still powered through and did not miss a start for the 49ers. In fact, he has started every single game for San Francisco ever since he was drafted out of BYU in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
It is not hyperbole to say he is now in the same conversation as Patrick Willis in terms of best 49ers linebackers of all time as well as best 49ers defensive players of all time. He is an absolute beast and is the clear leader of the team on defense. Warner may even get rewarded with a contract extension this offseason because of how consistent and productive he has been.
The All-Pro was openly thrilled about the fact that defensive coordinator Robert Saleh will be reprising his role with the 49ers. Even though the team has lost valuable players like linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga in free agency, one hopes the Niners will still be able to improve on defense in the 2025 season after they struggled to stop opponents for much of last season.
As someone familiar with rejection, Adams’ advice invoking Warner is valuable. Sure, rejection stinks, but Warner's toughness and grit can remind us that even when things are hard and painful we can still carry on and power through.