San Francisco All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner has been sidelined since he suffered a dislocated and broken right ankle in a Week 6 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Is there a chance that the 49ers star defender could make a return this season after those prospects looked grim initially after his injury?
Ahead of San Francisco’s critical Week 17 home matchup against the Chicago Bears on Sunday night, Warner gave a positive update when asked if he could make it back on the field this season.
“I’ve got a chance,” Warner said during NBC’s pregame coverage. “That’s the plan, so we’re going to take this thing one day at a time. There’s a whole lot of different steps, and Ts got to be crossed, Is got to be dotted in order to get there, but we’re on the right track.”
During the game’s telecast, NBC said Warner is targeting a potential return for the NFC Championship Game.
This year, Super Bowl LX will be held at the 49ers’ home field, Levi’s Stadium, on Feb. 8.
The NFC and AFC championship games will take place on Jan. 25.
San Francisco, which has clinched a playoff spot, went into Sunday holding onto the No. 5 seed in the NFC postseason race but with the chance to earn the NFC’s top seed — and a first-round bye in the playoffs — if it wins out.
Step 1 to winning out was accomplished Sunday night, as San Francisco rallied to beat the Bears in a 42-38 thriller.
The 49ers retook the lead on a 38-yard Jauan Jennings touchdown reception with 2:15 to play. That was Brock Purdy’s fifth touchdown — and third passing touchdown — of the game.
Chicago drove and had a chance to win, but Caleb Williams’ pass on second-and-goal from the 2 as time ran out fell incomplete.
Now, San Francisco will host Saturday the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday at 6 p.m. MST on ABC and ESPN. The winner will earn not only the NFC West division title, but the NFC’s No. 1 seed as well.
Warner’s positive update corroborates a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo on Saturday.
The pair reported that even if Warner is able to make an appearance in the playoffs, it’s expected he would be a limited participant.
“Sources informed of Warner’s situation say there is a chance that Warner’s rehab could be going well enough for him to make a cameo in the NFC Championship Game if San Francisco is a participant or more likely Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8, 2026, should it win the conference title,” Rapoport and Garafolo wrote.
“And even then, it would likely be in spot duty as any early return might put Warner at risk of further injury.”
Warner has played in the Super Bowl twice with San Francisco, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in both of those appearances.
During a radio appearance this week on KNBR radio, 49ers general manager John Lynch said it wouldn’t surprise him if Warner was able to successfully return to the field if San Francisco makes a deep postseason run.
“I think it’s a thing that will remain to be seen,” Lynch told the radio station, “but I know he’s putting his heart and soul and his incredible work ethic to work every single day in an effort to do that.”
Warner, the former BYU standout linebacker, had surgery on Oct. 14 for an injury that was expected to take 4-6 months to recover from, according to NFL.com.
It’s the first significant injury of Warner’s career. Since he entered the league as a third-round draft pick in 2018, he had only missed one game due to injury, back in 2021. Last season, that included playing through a fractured ankle.
If Warner were to make a return at some point during the postseason, his recovery time would be on the short end of the recovery window.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Warner recently told The Ryen Rusillo Show.
“God has a plan. I was telling guys that as I’m getting carted off and they’re feeling sorry for me — like, ‘I’ll be good.’”