In an offseason which has seen a number of defensive departures in particular, the 49ers have managed to keep a pair of key contributors on the other side of the ball in place well beyond 2025. Tight end George Kittle, and shortly thereafter, quarterback Brock Purdy have signed long-term extensions this spring. 
Many have pointed to Fred Warner as the next logical candidate for a new deal as a result. The All-Pro linebacker did not appear to be close to an agreement on that front last month, but that seems to have changed in the wake of the Kittle and Purdy pacts. Team and player are “very close” to an extension, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Two years remain on Warner’s current deal, a big-ticket extension he inked in 2021. None of his outstanding base salaries are guaranteed, though, and the 28-year-old is set to carry cap charges of $29.17MM and $26.71MM as things stand. Lowering those totals would be a welcomed development for San Francisco as the team’s financial outlook shifts with Purdy no longer representing a quarterback bargain. Warner’s next pact should allow him to become the league’s highest-paid linebacker once it is in place.
The top of the position’s market stands at $20MM per season as a result of the deal Roquan Smith signed shortly after being acquired via trade by the Ravens in 2023. A number of other notable extensions have been worked out since then, but Warner’s AAV ($19.05MM) still ranks second. A third 49ers pact would no doubt check in at a higher rate given the rise in the salary cap and the four-time Pro Bowler’s continued high level of play during his time in San Francisco.
Warner has recorded between 118 and 137 tackles during each of his seven years in the NFL, and with seven interceptions across the past three years he has proven to be a playmaker against the pass as well as the run. The former third-rounder will be expected to remain a foundational member of the 49ers’ defense in 2025, a year in which several starters – including fellow linebacker Dre Greenlaw – are no longer in the fold. Having missed only one game so far in his career, durability is not a concern in this case.
Recent comments made by Warner indicated he would not engage in a holdout at any point in the offseason, a positive sign with respect to the status of his contract talks. Given the latest update, it would come as no surprise for a deal to be in place in the near future.
The 49ers are about to price themselves out of contention
A pretty bad to below average oline.
Their #1 wr coming off multiple knee tears
CMC coming off injured year and aging at RB
Defense is full of younger guys, if they actually do well Saleh is getting another HC job.
oh and now paying a QB like most teams.
They will be over $50 million under the cap after the Warner deal.
They are this year. When you start signing guys to huge contracts you just keep kicking salary down the road until you turn into the Saints. If all the guys they are giving money to are old and/or injured (yes), you are going to run into a huge problem very soon unless you absolutely nail the draft year in and year out.
The draft is the underrated part here. People blame all the big contracts for the Niners being in a tricky position, but bad and/or low volume drafting is hurting their roster and cap situation a lot. You need some solid starters on rookie contracts to do well in the NFL, and from 2021-2023’s drafts, they only really got Purdy, Hufanga, and Lenoir.
I think they are bidding against themselves here. 2 years remain, Warner is one of the few valued mlb. The trend the last 3 few years has been team declining 5th year options on their drafted mlb and some being traded.
In fairness, most off-ball linebackers drafted in the first round haven’t been good during their rookie contracts. Warner is fantastic.
Just think how much money they’d have without those disastrous Aiyuk and Lennore deals
too bad they paid Aiyuk all that money. waste
You should really look at his contract, 9 million hit this year and 15 next year and then he can be dumped with a minimal dead cap hit
I wouldn’t consider a $21 million dead cap hit “minimal”