They may be NFC West rivals, but Fred Warner and Puka Nacua will always share a BYU brotherhood.
The pair of former Cougars met up at midfield following Sunday’s matchup between their teams, embracing each other and sharing some lighthearted laughs.
Nacua had just broken the league’s rookie receiving record despite Warner’s 49ers making the pursuit for history much more dramatic by aggressively double-teaming the young pass-catcher throughout the afternoon.
Warner playfully ribbed Nacua about the effort to contain him.
The All-Pro linebacker joked about Nacua needing one more yard for the record following a 19-yard touchdown grab, saying he’d have to “earn that” and telling his defensive teammates to “double him, double him.”
The two Pro Bowl selections have known each other for years, with Warner having been teammates with Nacua’s older brother Kai at BYU and in San Francisco.
“Yeah, (I’m) really happy for Puka,” Warner said in video shared by 49ers on NBCS on Jan. 3. “The dude has just been dialed in. I played with his older brother (Kai Nacua) but Puka is special, like the mindset he has I think is what has allowed him to play as well as he has as a rookie. Obviously, the talent and the ability’s there, but the mindset from Day 1 of talking to this kid — he’s made of the right stuff, so I’m not surprised by what he’s been doing.”
Nacua finished his rookie campaign with 105 catches for 1,486 yards, the most ever for a first-year receiver.
Warner, meanwhile, posted 132 tackles with four forced fumbles and four interceptions in the 2023-24 regular season.
Both former Cougars are favored for All-Pro consideration.
Nacua’s Los Angeles Rams may have prevailed Sunday against the 49ers, but the rival squads may have another chance to face off again in the postseason.
San Francisco earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC, giving the team a first-round bye. The No. 6 seed Rams will take on Detroit this Sunday, and a win over the Detroit Lions coupled with a Green Bay Packers loss would pit Warner and Nacua against each other in the divisional round.