Fred Warner's injury underscores his words on the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff's handling of the injury crisis plaguing the team, with the star linebacker the latest to go down
21:27 ET, 12 Oct 2025
Fred Warner #54 of the San Francisco 49ers stands on the sidelines during the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Tampa, Florida
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Fred Warner is the latest San Francisco 49ers star to be added to a lengthy injury list(Image: Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Fred Warner's words after the San Francisco 49ers' gritty win over the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 2 rang true after the team was dealt another heavy blow.
With the first quarter halfway over, the Buccaneers ran a play to get separation when 49ers safety Ji'Ayir Brown brought down Rachaad White. In the process, Brown collapsed onto Warner's right ankle, with the former's full weight solely on the latter's leg, immediately bringing down the star.
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Warner remained down on the grass as San Francisco's medical team quickly rushed out to tend to the star linebacker before a cart was brought out to take Warner back to the locker room. The 28-year-old's lower leg was put into a cast and taken out of the game, with the injury coming just a week after Kyle Juszczyk lauded the team's ability to fight through the injuries.
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Considering how serious the injury looked in real time, it was a foregone conclusion that Warner would not return and would miss a considerable amount of time. Shortly afterward, The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported that Warner suffered a dislocated right ankle injury.
After the game, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the extent of Warner's injury. "Dislocated, I think it broke, too. So he's gonna have surgery, yeah," Shanahan told reporters after the 49ers' 30-19 loss to the Buccaneers, cementing that the star will miss the rest of the season.
He added: "I mean, it's big. I mean, anytime you lose one of your best players, also a huge leader. So I'm obviously a huge blow, feel bad for Fred right now. He's in good spirits though, he's got a good foundation..."
Shanahan also told reporters how Warner spoke with the team after his injury and showcased his ability as a leader despite undergoing what is now confirmed to be a season-ending ankle injury.
Fred Warner #54 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after being injured during the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the game at Raymond James Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Tampa, Florida
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Fred Warner sustained a serious lower leg injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers(Image: Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
"I mean, it is what it is," Shanahan added. "I mean, of course, everyone knows it's difficult, so when you lose your better players and stuff and your leaders and stuff, you know, it's huge with Nick [Bosa], obviously, huge with Fred.
"Hopefully we'll get [George] Kittle back here and some of the other guys, but I mean, that's just gonna give opportunities to other guys and these are moments guys got to step it up and I'm glad that we played some decent football to put us in this position, at least with our record and we're gonna find a way to get better everywhere else throughout this year."
Warner's injury comes a week after he lauded San Francisco's job of maintaining a level head despite the 49ers' plethora of absences. This year, Bosa, Kittle, Brock Purdy, and now Warner are among the many 49ers players who have missed long stretches of the season or even the entirety of the campaign.
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"A game like tonight speaks to that completely, right?" Warner said in reference to different players stepping up in place of the injured stars after the 49ers' overtime win over the Rams on Oct. 2. He also lauded the job Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh had done to keep each man ready amid the uncertainty each week.
"I mean, you're on a short week, you're wounded, down a bunch of guys. And to get your players prepared enough to go out there and compete at the level that we did, I think the intensity was there from the first snap, Kyle's the best in the game at motivating his players through the tape.
"And, of course, Saleh is amazing in his own right as well. So, yeah, humongous win."