Fred Warner was overwhelmed by over 200 text messages and calls from friends and colleagues on Wednesday when news broke that the San Francisco 49ers were signing him to a massive five-year extension, making him the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL. The newfound riches won't change his attitude, though. Instead, Warner will continue working to earn the respect of his peers and do whatever he can to contribute to the team goal of winning a championship.
"My goals and aspirations are always going to be set to the highest standard, higher than anybody else can put on me," Warner told reporters on Thursday. "And that holds true to the season, even before this contract was set and done. My (personal) goals and my goals for this team, they don't change. So that's what's exciting, is now we can put that behind us, or I can put that behind me and really focus on football and how I can provide my best self for this team."
Warner was asked about his personal goals for the season. However, the linebacker didn't want to go into too much detail on the topic.
"I will say that I'm obviously trying to build on what I did last season," Warner shared. "Everything that happened last season happened last season. I'm focused on the present and being the best version of myself now.
Then there are the team's goals, which haven't changed from last season.
"And as for the team, obviously the goal every year is to win that championship, but it all starts with training camp, day one," Warner said. "That's where our mindset is at. I'm always going to be striving to be the best version of myself, no matter what, and I know the whole team has that same mindset. And we're going to go hard in about a week or so."
Warner was entering the final year of his rookie deal. Now, he is signed through the 2026 season and doesn't have to worry about his financial security moving forward. As 49ers fans know from last year, anything can quickly derail a season. With training camp set to kick off next week, Warner has the comfort of knowing that he is taken care of.
"I think I'd be lying if I said there wasn't some pressure (to sign before training camp)," Warner said. "I think everyone handled the situation flawlessly. It was a great experience, and it was something that I was hoping to be done before training camp so I could just focus on this season and being my best self, not having to worry about all that stuff. I trusted in my agent and everyone who was involved in the deal."
Added Warner while laughing: "I'm just happy it's over."
