Dre Greenlaw picked the Denver Broncos over the San Francisco 49ers. That, per a report from the Denver Post.

Greenlaw was an integral piece of the Niners’ defense throughout his six-year career to this point.

But, even more money couldn’t lure him back to the City by the Bay; Greenlaw chose the Mile High City instead.

Dre Greenlaw picked Denver Broncos over 49ers

When healthy, Greenlaw was undoubtedly one of the best players on the 49ers defense.

He was an inside linebacker next to Fred Warner, giving San Francisco arguably the best linebacking duo in the game. The Niners defense, which was 3rd-best in 2023 in points allowed, and eighth in 2019–the team’s most recent Super Bowl appearances–was a major reason why the team made it to the doorstep of another title.

But in that latest Super Bowl, in February of 2024, Greenlaw tore his achilles tendon while running onto the field between drives. It was a fluke injury that he had to recover from through most of the 2024 season, playing in only two games late in the year.

That made his signing last month a little risky by the Broncos, even if he’s the playmaking, cover linebacker they’ve needed for a long time.

But this recently unveiled news from the Post, which revealed that both Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch visited Greenlaw in Texas to try and lure him back to San Francisco, seems to prove he’s healthy after all.

At least, both the Broncos–who paid him $35 million over three years–and the Niners, who outbid Denver, both believe he’s ready to be a top-tier linebacker again in 2025 and beyond.

“San Francisco, eventually, had outbid the Broncos, who’d honed in on Greenlaw to revamp the heart of their defense,” wrote Luca Evans of the Denver Post. “But the 49ers’ brass only flew out — and their offer only increased — after the Broncos had already come after Greenlaw, sources said.”

Dre Greenlaw picking the Denver Broncos over the 49ers is huge considering he was drafted and played his entire career to this point there. It’s also likely indicative of the star linebacker’s belief that Denver is on the rise, while the Niners have fallen off.

Denver’s defense expected to improve again after surprisingly dominant 2024

The Broncos were able to make the playoffs for the first time in eight years thanks to a dominant defense that hardly anyone saw coming.

Yes, they had now-Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain as the cornerstone, but many other players enjoyed career years.

One of them was Zach Allen, who enjoyed a career-high in sacks (8.5) and QB hits (40) last year. Allen’s interior pressure was a major reason why the Broncos led the NFL in sacks (63), which was also a team record for a single season.

Speaking of sacks, Nik Bonitto enjoyed a breakout season and led the team with 13.5. He’s an incredible speed-rusher off the edge and can return turnovers to the end zone with ease. And Jonathan Cooper also enjoyed a career-high with 10.5 sacks of his own.

But where the Broncos were lacking on defense last year, and where they were exploited by the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs, was the middle of the field.

That’s where Greenlaw and fellow former 49er Talanoa Hufanga come in.

Greenlaw can stop the run or cover running backs and tight ends out of the backfield. And Hufanga is a linebacker-safety hybrid who will do much of the same, while Brandon Jones plays a more typical free safety role.

Plus, Greenlaw will be lining up next to Alex Singleton, who will return from an ACL injury that sidelined him in 2024.

Last year, the Broncos were third in points allowed (18.3 PPG), third in rushing defense (96.4 YPG), and third in red zone scoring percentage (46.9%), all while leading the league in sacks.

This year, they’re poised to be even better.