The San Francisco 49ers suffered a devastating blow when linebacker Fred Warner dislocated and fractured his right ankle, seemingly ending his season. The defensive captain underwent surgery on Tuesday, which was deemed successful. Head coach Kyle Shanahan estimated Warner's recovery timeline at around three months.

That naturally sparked speculation about a potential playoff return if the 49ers make a deep run, though Shanahan was quick to temper expectations.


"I just threw out there three months, but we haven't thought about that yet," Shanahan said on Wednesday. "I mean, he just had surgery yesterday, so we'll see how that goes, but not thinking about that right now."

General manager John Lynch echoed a similar sentiment during an appearance on KNBR Thursday morning. While he didn't dismiss the possibility of Warner returning late in the season, he was careful not to overpromise.

"We'll talk to the docs. They'll be over here today," Lynch explained. "I did briefly, and I think let's get there and let's see. Fred will never rule out—you give him a timeline, he'll want to break it and beat it. But I'll talk to those guys more and we'll see if it's out there, if that's a possibility. We've just got to go put in the work, so that perhaps it is."

Fred Warner is in good spirits after surgery


Despite the setback, Lynch noted that Warner remains upbeat as he begins the recovery process.

"There's no doubt, and I think anyone will tell you it was a gut punch, losing a guy like that," Lynch said. "He means so much to our team. 'Heart and soul' is something probably too often used with great players, but Fred really is a heart-and-soul guy. He combines doing it, leading with his actions, and making everyone better around him. But he's also got a great way about him, a wisdom. He's vocal, he's all of it, and he's earned everything about that.


"Yesterday, I called him, and he was home from his surgery, and I just called, I said, 'Hey, man, how you doing?' And he goes, 'JL, stop. I'm doing great. Don't worry about me. I am doing great.' And it made me feel bad for even asking him how he was doing. Like, come on, man. And that's just typical of who the guy is, who he's become, and he's going to be great. He's going to be fine."

Warner's absence will undoubtedly be felt on the field, as the 49ers must once again adapt without one of their star players. Still, Lynch emphasized that the challenge creates opportunities for others to step up.

"Unfortunately, we're going to be playing without him for a while, and that's a tough deal because not only is he a tremendous leader, he's a tremendous player," Lynch said. "And that's tough, but it means an opportunity for someone else, and it means an opportunity for the rest of our team.

"We've collectively—we've talked about this with Nick Bosa—everyone's gotta pick up their game to make up for the loss of a great player and leader like that."



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