The Denver Broncos didn’t want Dre Greenlaw around anymore — his old team was waiting with open arms.
On the same day Greenlaw was officially released by the Broncos, the San Francisco 49ers signed their former inside linebacker to a 1-year, $7.5 million contract.
“Reunion: The 49ers are signing back one of their former stars, agreeing to terms with LB Dre Greenlaw, sources say,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account. “The former SF draft pick spent last season with the Broncos and now returns on a 1-year, $7.5M deal.”
Greenlaw spent 1 season with the Broncos in 2025 after signing a 3-year, $31.5 million but spent his first 6 seasons with the 49ers.
“Many in 49ers building believe they shouldn’t have let Greenlaw leave in free agency last year,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on X. “Wouldn’t make the same mistake again.”
Broncos Quickly Parted Ways With Greenlaw
The Broncos decided to release Greenlaw on Monday, the 1st day of NFL free agency.
“The Broncos are releasing Dre Greenlaw, per source,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens wrote on his official X account. “By releasing Dre Greenlaw, Broncos have $4.33M in dead money, but save $6M in cap space.”
Greenlaw’s health was an issue beginning in the preseason, which he missed almost the entirety of with a mysterious injury issue, and also led to him missing 9 regular-season games.
Even when he was healthy, Greenlaw couldn’t seem to get right, including serving a one-game suspension for a postgame confrontation with a game official.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine put Greenlaw at the top of his list of possible salary cap casualties for the Broncos this offseason on February 1 — just days after a 10-7 home loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
“The Broncos are in a nice spot financially so they don’t have to get too ruthless to clear space.” Ballentine wrote. “However, it’s worth revisiting the Dre Greenlaw signing. The Broncos inked him to a three-year, $31.5 million contract, but they’ve left themselves wiggle room to get out of it. The signing was a bet that Greenlaw could put his injury issues behind him, but that wasn’t the case. The 28-year-old was in and out of the lineup this season with groin, ankle, hamstring and quad injuries. He ultimately wound up only playing 58 percent of the snaps in eight games.”
Greenlaw Never Same Following Super Bowl Injury
The Broncos bet on Greenlaw returning to the form that made him a star for the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 — a year that ended with a freak injury in a Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs when he tore his Achilles tendon as he slipped running onto the field.
In the 2 seasons before his injury, Greenlaw had 247 tackles and 8 TFL in 30 games. In the 2 seasons since his injury, he’s played in just 10 games with 52 tackles and 2 TFL.
The Broncos are filling Greenlaw’s spot from within — they signed inside linebacker Strnad to a 3-year, $18 million contract on Sunday and brought back inside linebacker Alex Singleton on a 2-year, $15 million contract on Monday, which included $11 million in guaranteed money.
Broncos’ $31.5 Million Free Agent Bust Lands With Former Team