Other than sealing a win against the Denver Broncos for the team, it might have been a personal mission for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw to prove himself against his former team. As the face-off proved that bad blood still exists between Greenlaw and Denver, he dropped a strong claim during the post-game presser.
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“You know, it’s stuff I wanna have back,” he shared. “I wish I could have back, but you know, I’m a lot better than what I was when I was with them, so I’m just getting better and better.”
Denver signed unrestricted free agent linebacker Greenlaw to a three-year contract in March 2025. However, the stint was short-lived. In March this year, after signing a bunch of players, including linebackers Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad, Greenlaw was released by the Broncos.
“If Greenlaw goes on to shine elsewhere, the Broncos will regret letting him go,” Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox had already dropped a warning earlier for Payton’s team, “especially when his contract looks quite reasonable compared to some of the linebacker deals we’ve seen this offseason.”
However, Denver’s patience ran thin when it came to Greenlaw. A quad injury kept him sidelined for the first six games, while an altercation with referee Brad Allen led to a suspension for Week 8. Greenlaw then suffered a hamstring injury late in the season and was released in March after playing ten games.
“One week it’s this, one week it’s that, and it’s like, I’ve never been in that position before for one and, for two, yeah, I just wasn’t happy,” Greenlaw shared about his feelings on The Set podcast with former NFL player Terron Armstead after being chopped off from the roster. “That’s really what it boiled down to at the end of the day.”
By pointing out that he and Payton didn’t talk during his stint with the Broncos last season, Greenlaw appeared to subtly suggest that some tension still remains between them.
That unhappiness and bitter feeling of things not working out in Denver probably have stayed in his heart even though he now suits up for the 49ers. Fans got to see a reflection of it on Sunday, October 4.
After making a tackle along the sideline in the first quarter against the Broncos, Greenlaw quickly got to his feet and began jawing at Payton, who was nearby.
During the postgame presser, the Broncos head coach, however, said that he no longer holds any old grievance against their former player.
“I think the world, really, I love everything about him. And so he plays with that emotion, so all good,” Payton said.
Greenlaw had the final say against his former head coach, as the Niners cruised past the Broncos 24-14 to remain unbeaten at 4-0. He paced the team with 12 tackles, his highest total of the season. What might have been tougher for Payton and the Broncos fans to accept is that Greenlaw was one of the big reasons why the 49ers won Sunday’s fight against the Broncos.
He made his presence felt defensively, with the 49ers allowing 3.3 yards per carry when he was on the field and 5.2 when he was off it, per the NFL. He finished with a team-high 12 tackles (7 solo).
What hurts the Broncos more after seeing Greenlaw succeed? Denver released Greenlaw, but they haven’t completely stopped paying the salary-cap cost of having him.
The Broncos are still carrying $2.166 million of his contract on their 2026 salary cap. His March release came with a post-June 1 designation, which spread the remaining dead-money charge over 2026 and 2027. Denver will absorb approximately $2.17 million this season and another $2.17 million next year.