The San Francisco 49ers may have lost to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, but Fred Warner dominated.
The former BYU Cougar recorded nine total tackles — seven solo — a sack, two forced fumbles and an interception against the Vikings.
Warner picked off Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold in the red zone and returned it for 25 yards, stopping the Vikings from increasing their 10-point lead. The 49ers scored a touchdown on the following series to cut the deficit to three points.
Warner shared a special moment with his 6-month-old son following the game, he noted on this week’s episode of the podcast he hosts with his wife, Sydney, “The Warner House.”
What Fred Warner did with his interception ball against the Vikings
Before the season started, 49ers linebacker coach Johnny Holland told Warner that he needed to “get baby Beau some balls this season.”
The ball from Warner’s interception is the first of those balls baby Beau will receive.
When Warner gave his son the ball, Beau was crying, he said.
“He was crying tears of joy. He’s like ‘Oh my gosh, daddy. You did that for me?’ He said those words — first words he said today, of his life,” Warner joked.
What Fred Warner said about being a father
Warner said Sunday was a moment that made him think of the lessons he could pass onto his son from moments of disappointment like that loss.
“What am I going to teach my son when it’s his time to like, you know, start learning these things and becoming a leader and taking a loss, how to learn from losses and all those sorts of things,” he said.
“I enjoyed giving him his little bath time, getting him ready for bed,” Warner said. “I don’t get all those moments that you have with him during the day, so when I do have those moments at night time, I make sure I’m extra present in those moments.”
What the 49ers said about Fred Warner’s dominating performance against the Vikings
Warner’s performance earned him praise from general manager John Lynch. Lynch heaped praises on the linebacker in a radio appearance with San Francisco’s KNBR on Friday.
Lynch said Warner is the only linebacker since 2020 to record a sack, a pass break up, an interception, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and not miss a tackle in a single game.
“Fred’s outstanding. He’s such a model for everybody in our organization — I think for anyone — if you want to watch someone work with intent each and every day, with extremely exceptional attitude and effort and consistency,” Lynch said.
On Thursday, Lynch and some of the 49ers’ “younger scouts” looked at the top five linebackers in the 2025 draft class and then reviewed Warner’s BYU film as an example of what a player can become.
“It was a really cool exercise to see a guy who played in the nickel position and I could tell you, you didn’t see a guy that, ‘Man, this guy’s going to be the best linebacker in football.’ I’d be lying to you if I ever told you that but when you have a special amount of ability, aptitude, and then you’re willing to put in the work and not just match other people’s intensity and consistency and their work but in your preparation outwork your competition on a consistent basis, this is what can happen. In year seven, you’re getting better, and he kept us in that game quite frankly last week and gave us an opportunity,” he said.