After an offseason that saw him become a first-time father, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner has even more to play for as he enters his seventh NFL season.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Warner was asked how he has processed having his first child and how that has impacted his focus on football.
“Yeah, that’s my No. 1, well first marrying my wife but then us having our first baby boy together, that goes above everything,” Warner said. “Family is No. 1 for me and then the football stuff comes second. That doesn’t mean that football is not as important to me but yeah, I had to get over that [Super Bowl LVIII] loss pretty quick because I had something else really important coming up.
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“I think they both go hand-in-hand as well, I think now I have even more to play for in this game. I already had a lot of motivation, a lot of inner drive, but to look at my son every day and know that I’m playing for someone else as well, it could get pretty scary [for opposing players].”
Since being selected by San Francisco with the No.70 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Warner has become a key contributor to the 49ers' fearsome defense, earning first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections in 2020, 2022 and 2023.
Warner and the rest of the 49ers will look to put their heartbreaking overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII behind them as they head into the 2024 NFL season.
The 49ers, armed with a bevy of picks, will look to retool its offensive and defensive lines in the upcoming NFL draft as the team looks to remain atop the NFC standings once again.
San Francisco 49ers
While San Francisco parted ways with Arik Armstead and other veterans, plenty of key contributors remain under contract as the team looks to end its long championship drought.
With Warner’s motivation now at an all-time high, San Francisco anticipates another strong season on the defensive side of the ball.