Will he play? 49ers make Fred Warner’s status clear for Seattle playoff game
All eyes became fixated on Fred Warner this week ahead of the 49ers’ trip to play the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round on Saturday.
Then Kyle Shanahan nipped the situation in the bud on Thursday.
Shanahan said definitively Warner would not play against the Seahawks, but noted he believes Warner is on track to play in the NFC Championship game the following week should the 49ers survive in Seattle.
“Yes, I do feel confident in that,” Shanahan said. “We’ll see if it works out.”
It took some reading between the lines, but as late as midday Thursday, the All-Pro linebacker wasn’t ruling out a potential return to action on Saturday after dislocating and fracturing his ankle Oct. 12, which would have been a remarkably fast recovery. National reporters on Thursday morning reported there was a sense of optimism inside the 49ers building that Warner at least had a chance to play.
“We’re taking it day by day,” Warner told reporters Wednesday as he took an active role in the 49ers’ only padded practice of the week. “I think they said last week they weren’t going to open my window and then my window’s now open.”
The October injury appeared to be season-ending, but Warner has rehabbed diligently towards a chance at playing in the playoffs — which could have provided the injury-riddled 49ers a substantial boost a week after losing star tight end George Kittle to an Achilles tear during their wild card win in Philadelphia.
However, Warner was the 49ers’ only linebacker who wasn’t wearing a helmet during the early portion of practice open to reporters ahead of Thursday’s light walkthrough practice. Suffice to say, the only chance he suits up for the 49ers again this season is if the team advances to at least the NFC title game, which would be on the road at the winner of Sunday’s game between the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams.
The secret to Purdy’s success in Seattle
When the 49ers beat the Seahawks in the thrilling regular season finale in 2019, it was their first win in Seattle since 2012. Their struggles against the Seahawks were well-known given Seattle won 10 straight in the rivalry from 2014 to 2018.
But San Francisco has regained its footing in the NFC West rivalry.
Brock Purdy has won four straight games as the 49ers starting quarterback in Seattle, including Week 1 of this season, despite Lumen Field being known for its raucous fans and stands that are known to bounce in big moments. The 13-3 loss to the Seahawks in Week 18 was just Purdy’s second loss to Seattle in seven games. He’s thrown 11 touchdowns and 6 interceptions for a 99.8 passer rating against them.
Purdy is looking to improve to 8-2 in the playoffs and 3-0 in the divisional round.
Playing in Lumen Field poses a unique challenge similar to what faced Purdy last week in Philadelphia: a potentially loud atmosphere that hasn’t been kind to opposing quarterbacks over the years. Purdy for his career is 17-6 on the road and 16-10 at home.
“Nothing really rattles Brock. He stays the same,” Shanahan said. “I don’t think when you guys talk to him, whether he’s had a good game, a bad game, I don’t think he ever seems much different. He’s always Brock. And you feel that on the sidelines throughout a game, and we felt that last week.”
Purdy overcame two interceptions to help the 49ers beat the Eagles despite a fourth-quarter pick leading to Philadelphia taking a 19-17 lead on a field goal with 8:04 remaining.
Purdy then orchestrated a game-winning touchdown drive by completing 5 of 7 passes for 42, and a first-down scramble, ending in a 4-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey to win 23-19.
It was his fourth game-winning drive in the postseason, tying him for the sixth most among quarterbacks since 1950. The rest of the list: Tom Brady (14), Patrick Mahomes (7), John Elway (6), Eli Manning (5), Joe Montana (5), Terry Bradshaw (4), Dan Marino (4), Ben Roethlisberger (4), Matthew Stafford (4) and Russell Wilson (4).
“That’s what I thought was so impressive,” Shanahan said. “Having the interception with like 8 minutes to go and we lose the lead. And he came back and played the next drive after that, is a perfect example. That’s what I mean by you can see people’s character, what type of people they are on the silent tape. And the guy who can act like that on the silent tape describes exactly what type of dude he is.”
This story was originally published January 15, 2026 at 2:53 PM with the headline "Will he play? 49ers make Fred Warner’s status clear for Seattle playoff game."
