Many were hoping that if the San Francisco 49ers reached the NFC title game, Fred Warner would be able to return. The veteran leader is back in practice after being out since Oct. 12 after suffering an ankle injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It was an assumption that playing against the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round matchup would be too much of a risk for Warner. However, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter is revealing that Warner is pushing to play against the Seahawks.
“He’s pushing to play,” Schefter said on the Jan. 15 edition of the “Pat McAfee Show.” “He’s not given up hope yet. Kyle Shanahan was dismissive of the idea all week long, but Fred Warner doesn’t want to let it go. Here’s the deal: They have until Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Eastern to activate him.”
“Here’s something to pay attention to this weekend. The Bills are listing Curtis Samuel, and Ed Oliver is questionable. They have to make the decision by 4:00 p.m. Eastern on Friday, because the game kicks off at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
“The Niners-Seahawks game doesn’t kick off till that night. So the Niners don’t have to activate Fred Warner, if they’re going to do that, until Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. They can wait until that time, they get an extra day to decide, over the Buffalo Bills, who have to decide by tomorrow whether to activate Ed Oliver and Curtis Samuel.”
Fred Warner Talks Returning to 49ers Practice
On Jan. 14, Warner spoke with the media about how he’s feeling being back in practice.
“I feel amazing!“ Warner said (h/t 95.7 The Game). “Let me just say that I’m so grateful and blessed to be back. When all this happened, I didn’t think about the possibility of returning this season, but the way things progressed and having the opportunity to be back with my teammates and give them a chance to win this week, that’s my only goal moving forward.”
Moreover, Warner sounded like someone who isn’t just preparing to be back for a potential NFC title game; it appears he wants to do everything possible to play against Seattle, as Schefter reported.
“It’s just another day at the office!“ Warner added (h/t 95.7 The Game). “My only goal is to have the best day every day to have a chance to beat Seattle.”
Fred Warner Provides Major Boost to 49ers Squad
With the Niners potentially seeing the return of Warner, 49ers’ Demarcus Robinson didn’t hide the boost that the update gave the squad, especially considering the injury to George Kittle in the win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I feel like we could definitely feel his presence a bit more,” Robinson told reporters on Jan. 13 (h/t Tracy Sandler of FGSN). “He’s out there on the field with us. We always had his energy being in the stadium, getting the crowd before the game. But definitely for us now as teammates, having him out there, being on the field, [and] at practice seeing him run around. It feels good to see him back out there.”
Insider Shares Huge Fred Warner Update Before 49ers-Seahawks