The Denver Broncos struggled to get much going on offense in their 24-14 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
However, one of the more interesting developments from the game was 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw having (seemingly one-sided) beef with Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
The first altercation came early in the first quarter, when he was seen yelling towards Payton after making a tackle near Denver’s sideline. Linebacker Fred Warner later had to restrain Greenlaw after he ran towards Payton after the contest.
When asked about the incident after the game, he didn’t mince words. He said his relationship with Payton, and the fact that he didn’t reach out to tell him the team would be releasing him in March, was one of the major reasons why he was extra motivated for Sunday’s contest.
“The disrespect. He couldn’t be man to man and call my phone and say, ‘we’re going to cut you,’ ” Greenlaw said.
To his credit, the bitterness certainly seemed to unlock something in Greenlaw that the Broncos couldn’t. He was all over the field for the 49ers, leading the team with 12 tackles, including 7 solo takedowns.
Dre Greenlaw Was Expected To Be A Pillar For The Broncos
The Broncos had high hopes for Greenlaw when they signed him to a three-year, $35 million deal with the Broncos in the 2025 offseason. While he struggled to stay healthy the previous season, he was only two years removed from a Pro Bowl-caliber campaign and was widely considered one of the league’s most underrated off-the-ball linebackers when healthy.
Unfortunately, he landed on Injured Reserve with a quad injury early in the season, and he played in only eight games for the Broncos. He and Payton’s relationship began deteriorating from there, as Greenlaw said that he wouldn’t even look at him when they passed each other in the hallways.
“He would walk by – I would walk by – and he wouldn’t even look at me because of my injury, Greenlaw told reporters after the contest. “So I just knew what it was there.”
The writing was on the wall, and Greenlaw was released only one year into his deal on March 9. They still owed him $2.2 million in guaranteed money this season. He promptly re-signed with the 49ers, where he spent the first six years of his career, a few days later.
Sean Payton Took The High Road After The Contest
Unsurprisingly, Broncos head coach Sean Payton was asked about the altercation after the contest. Even more unsurprisingly, he didn’t add much fuel to the fire that was already burning hot.
“I think the world of him,” Payton told reporters. “Really, I love everything about him. You know, he plays with that emotion, so, all good.”
With the Broncos and 49ers being in different conferences and rarely going head-to-head, this is something that’ll only be rehashed (this season, anyway) if both teams cross paths again in the Super Bowl. It was definitely a lot of fun in the moment, though.
Former Broncos Linebacker Involved In Postgame Altercation With Sean Payton