It sure seems as if All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner was this close to playing in the San Francisco 49ers' divisional showdown against their hated NFC West rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, this Saturday.
Warner, whose 21-day practice window was opened this week after he amazingly was ready to retake the field following his brutal ankle injury early in the season, was observed without a helmet in the Niners' final practice before heading to Lumen Field for the divisional-round game on Saturday night.
That might have been an indication whether or not San Francisco would activate Warner, and there was no shortage of back-and-forth reporting about his readiness. Warner had told outlets he was "ready," and even ESPN's Adam Schefter suggested the 49ers were going to push the decision until the last possible moment.
Simultaneously, head coach Kyle Shanahan dampened such optimistic hopes despite Warner's unbelievable progress.
During his final presser ahead of the Hawks game, the coach delivered news Niners fans probably didn't want to hear.
Kyle Shanahan says 49ers won't activate Fred Warner for Seahawks game
Shanahan's reveal was that San Francisco wasn't going to activate the defensive captain by the 4 p.m. ET deadline on Saturday, as shared by ESPN's Nick Wagoner:
#49ers will NOT be activating LB Fred Warner for Saturday's game against Seattle, coach Kyle Shanahan says. The aim remains for next week in a potential NFC Championship game.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) January 15, 2026
Without diving too deeply into the medical prognosis, it's possible Warner didn't quite bounce back from the previous day's workouts, potentially dealing with swelling that made team doctors nervous.
Either way, the 49ers will have to rely on the patchwork unit of backers who've somehow held the line in Warner's absence, including veteran Eric Kendricks, whose exceptional play late in the Wild Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles helped Shanahan's squad reach this point.
Fellow linebacker Dee Winters is also anticipated to return alongside the recently acquired Garret Wallow, who also played a significant role in containing Philly's offense.
If there's good news, though, it's the realization Warner has a concrete target for his return date: the NFC Championship game.
Now, it's up to the Niners to get beyond Seattle to make that a reality.