Fred Warner and the San Francisco 49ers were heartbroken as Super Bowl 58 ended in overtime, with Patrick Mahomes' touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman shattering their championship dreams once again.
That crushing defeat has ignited a new fire in Warner and his teammates this offseason. They aim to rebound and finally hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the upcoming season.
"I know it stays with you," Warner told Vern Glenn of Bay Area television station KPIX. "I don't feel like I need any more motivation or things to get myself going other than just my inner drive, but those types of things, they do stay with you, and they give you that extra hunger and motivation to continue to keep going.
"My number one goal in this league is to win a championship, do it for this fan base, this organization, bring us back to where we need to be. And I know, as long as I'm just being the best version of myself, I'm going to continue to try and help give us the best chance to do that."
Warner acknowledged the challenge ahead. The road back to the Super Bowl won't be easy. The 49ers can't just snap their fingers and find themselves in New Orleans for Super Bowl 59. But the linebacker remains confident in his team's potential to reach their ultimate goal.
"We do have everything that we need in order to get back there, but you don't just get back there just because you're talented. You gotta put the work in," Warner added.
A significant part of the 49ers' success will rest on the shoulders of quarterback Brock Purdy, who, in only his second NFL season, led the team to February's Super Bowl. He's determined to use the loss as a learning experience.
"Once we got back for OTAs and stuff, rewatching the Super Bowl with Shanahan and Griese and all the guys, it's like, Dang, it really was there," Purdy said via Pro Football Talk. "We were a couple plays away from winning it. You've got to learn from it, you've got to pick you head back up, go to work and try to go get it again. It was tough. Still look back on it and think, We wish we coulda, woulda, but that's life, so now we've got to respond."