Do 49ers think Fred Warner could return from devastating injury this season?

The San Francisco 49ers lost who ESPN's Dan Graziano referred to as "the heart and soul of their defense" when linebacker Fred Warner went down with a dislocated and broken ankle in the 30-19 Week 6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Many assumed that Warner wouldn't play another meaningful before September 2026 at the earliest. During a Thursday appearance on San Francisco Bay Area sports radio station KNBR, 49ers general manager John Lynch declined to slam the door shut on Warner attempting to return to action if San Francisco qualifies for the playoffs. 

Fred Warner "will never rule out" trying to return this season

"We'll talk to the docs," Lynch said, per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "They'll be over here today. I did briefly, and I think let's get there and let's see. Fred will never rule out — you give him a timeline, he'll want to break it and beat it. But I'll talk to those guys more and we'll see if it's out there, if that's a possibility. We've just got to go put in the work, so that perhaps it is."

Matt Barrows of The Athletic spoke with UC Davis chief of orthopedic foot and ankle surgery Dr. Eric Giza, who said that Warner "is probably out for the season" unless the 49ers complete a run to Super Bowl LX, which will be held on Feb 8., 2026.

What 49ers will miss with Fred Warner sidelined

The 49ers were already without a key locker-room figure after star pass-rusher Nick Bosa suffered a season-ending ACL tear in September. While San Francisco could look to land a linebacker such as Quincy Williams of the New York Jets before the Nov. 4 trade deadline arrives, Lynch pointed out he won't be able to find a perfect replacement for Bosa this fall. 

"There's no doubt, and I think anyone will tell you it was a gut punch, losing a guy like that," Lynch added about the Warner injury. "He means so much to our team. 'Heart and soul' is something probably too often used with great players, but Fred really is a heart-and-soul guy. He combines doing it, leading with his actions, and making everyone better around him. But he's also got a great way about him, a wisdom. He's vocal, he's all of it, and he's earned everything about that."

As of Thursday afternoon, ESPN BET had the 49ers as 2.5-point favorites for the upcoming "Sunday Night Football" home game versus the Atlanta Falcons (3-2).