This week has been an emotional one for the San Francisco 49ers' third-year linebacker, Fred Warner. The team traded Kwon Alexander to the New Orleans Saints on Monday. The two had grown very close in their short time together and probably looked forward to playing alongside one another for years to come.
"It was emotional, to say the least," Warner told reporters on Tuesday. "Just what Kwon has meant not only to this entire team but to me. I wouldn't be where I'm at in my game and as a player if it wasn't for Kwon and everything that he's taught me, and brought to my game, and brought out of me.
"Yesterday, I was able to spend some time at his house before he took off to New Orleans. So that was good just to be with him for a little bit. I can't thank him enough for what he was able to do for me and the team. He left his mark here, for sure."
The 49ers signed Alexander to a four-year, $54 million contract last offseason. Salary-cap constraints, even less available money next year, and the emergence of Dre Greenlaw forced the team to look at its options, leading to Monday's trade.
Warner was asked to identify the most important thing he learned from Alexander in their season-and-a-half together.
"Just the way he went about football," Warner responded. "Yeah, this is a job and everything. You've got to be on top of your assignments and doing things the right way, but just the passion and the energy that he brought. ... He'll always have that same mindset of being legendary. Just carrying that in everything that he did, and that rubbed off on me — being able to step into the leadership role I'm in now.
"We just played with so much passion and that fun out there when we were together, and that's what everyone fed off of. Just looking forward to now taking that on head-first, and having guys kind of step up now."
Warner went on to explain that Alexander's presence and influence helped bring out his own on-field swagger. Most consider the young linebacker to be one of the best rising defensive stars in the league.
"[The swagger] was in there," Warner added. "It just hadn't really been brought out yet until he got here. So, like I said, I'm forever in debt to him just because of what he's been able to allow me to now bring my game to."