Greenlaw Exchanges Words With Payton in 49ers’ 24-14 Win Over Broncos
12 sourcesUpdated Oct 7, 20261 min read
Dre Greenlaw recorded a team-high 12 tackles and a forced fumble as the 49ers beat the Broncos 24-14 on Oct. 4, 2026 at Levi's Stadium, raising San Francisco to 4-0. After the final whistle he walked toward Broncos coach Sean Payton screaming near midfield; Fred Warner pulled him away. Greenlaw had pointed and yelled at Payton after his first tackle in the first quarter. He said he told Payton to get the f— off the field and that he blacked out a little. Greenlaw said Payton's disrespect fueled him—that Payton would not look at him because of injury, had not spoken since Week 12, and did not call to say Denver was cutting him. Payton said he thinks the world of Greenlaw and loves everything about him. Greenlaw's 2025 Denver deal is reported as three years and $31.5 million by the Chronicle and $35 million by Sports Illustrated; his eight-game totals as 43 tackles (Chronicle) or 45 with a sack and forced fumble (SI). Denver released him in March 2026; he signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the 49ers. Teammates said he was nearly blacked out yet kept cool and got revenge on an old team.
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“After terrorizing old team, 49ers’ Dre Greenlaw said he was fueled by Sean Payton’s ‘disrespect’”Center· 0 sources
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Payton should have stayed off the field instead of stirring things up, but Greenlaw turned that into solid motivation for the 49ers victory.
Greenlaw showed real fire with 12 tackles after Payton disrespected him post-release, and it clearly helped secure the 24-14 win.
