49ers’ Fred Warner talks Purdy, McCaffrey’s injury, Saleh’s impact, his own injury

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner has been making media rounds this week in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl LIX. The All-Pro defender joined The Pat McAfee Show to discuss several 49ers-related topics, including his admiration for Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey's injury struggles, and his own battle with an ankle injury.

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Warner on Purdy's rise

Warner praised his starting quarterback, Brock Purdy, expressing deep admiration for the young signal-caller and his incredible journey from the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to becoming the 49ers' franchise quarterback.

"Anybody who listens to me knows that I love Brock Purdy," Warner said. "I love everything about him—the way that he's made up, the player that he is, his story. That's my thing, is, how can you hate on a guy when he has a story that he's had and the success that he's brought to our team as 'Mr. Irrelevant,' last pick in the draft.

"I don't know of anybody else who's been the last pick in the draft and has been a starter. Even a starter for a football team, nonetheless, the franchise quarterback.

"And he took a huge leap this year in leadership, I think, just being in command of, not only the offense, but the team as well. He's been awesome. The sky's the limit for this kid. I can just go on all day with him."

McCaffrey's injury woes

Christian McCaffrey endured a challenging season. The star running back appeared in only four games, missing the season's first eight and final five games. Achilles tendinitis sidelined him initially, a serious setback that nobody expected.

"It came out of nowhere for him, honestly," Warner said. "I feel like, talking to him, I've talked to him throughout all the offseason since he's been here, and he felt great. He got married and was on cloud nine, thinking, All right, we're coming back to win a Super Bowl, coming off an Offensive Player of the Year type of year last year. And so, it was a shock to him, a shock to us."

Warner is eager to have McCaffrey back for the start of the 2025 season as the 49ers aim to rebound from a disappointing 6-11 campaign.

"He's one of our best players, if not the best," Warner continued. "So, I'm excited for him, going into this season, to just get back healthy, get back out on the field. We need him. We need him in order to be successful. You saw it. And then, obviously, dealing with a bunch of other injuries this past season. We just got to wipe that, put that away."

Playing through an ankle fracture

Warner also shared insight into his own injury. In November, the linebacker revealed he was playing through an ankle fracture sustained in Week 4 against the New England Patriots.

Warner still managed to appear in all 17 games.

"It was a simple [fracture] ... a simple ankle sprain that happened to pull the bone," Warner explained. "And it's just one of those nagging things, because injuries, it's like, they're either bad enough to keep you off the field or just good enough so you can keep playing. So it was one of those things where I was good enough to just keep playing and try to work through it."

Warner admitted that there was a lot of behind-the-scenes work to keep him on the field throughout the season.

Robert Saleh's Impact

Warner expressed his excitement about Robert Saleh's return as the 49ers' defensive coordinator and shared a memorable story about their early connection during pre-draft visits in 2018.

"I had a bunch of teams telling me, 'Oh, you can't do this. You're not this. You're not that,'" Warner shared. "And then I took my 30 visit with the Niners, and I'm in there with Coach Saleh in his office, and he's like, 'Man, I really like your game. This is how I see you playing in our system.'"

The interaction with Saleh left a lasting impression on the linebacker, and his experience visiting the 49ers in Santa Clara was unique.

"This is the first time I'm hearing these things," Warner added. "So I'm like, 'Man, this guy, Coach Saleh, he's the best.' And so they drafted me, and I'm super excited.

"And then, he just had all the belief in the world to stay with me, even through a rocky rookie season as a starter, and see it through. But, man, I love him, and happy to be back with him."