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Dre Greenlaw takes shot at Sean Payton after heated Broncos-49ers sideline exchange

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw directed a hostile message at Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton following the 49ers' 24-14 victory over the Broncos on Sunday, telling him to get the f—k off the field. Video of the postgame confrontation showed Greenlaw shouting while teammate Fred Warner steered him away from Payton.

The friction between Greenlaw and Payton stems from the 2025 season, which ended with Greenlaw's release by the Broncos in March. Greenlaw claimed that Payton completely ignored him from Week 12 through the end of the 2025 campaign because of an injury and failed to notify him personally of his release.

Greenlaw stated that his agent informed him of the cut, expressing frustration by stating, "The disrespect. He couldn’t be man to man and call my phone and say, “We’re going to cut you.”"

Greenlaw had signed a three-year contract with the Denver Broncos prior to the 2025 season. During that year, he missed time due to a quad injury and a suspension, ultimately appearing in eight regular-season games and logging 43 total tackles.

Following his release by the Denver Broncos in March 2026, Greenlaw signed a one-year, $7.5 million contract to rejoin the San Francisco 49ers. In the 2026 season so far, Greenlaw has recorded 34 total tackles and a forced fumble.

On the field during Sunday's game, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan passed Bill Walsh for the most games as the franchise's head coach while notching his 95th win. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy completed 19 of 30 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns.

Purdy's first touchdown pass connected with wide receiver Deebo Samuel, and he later threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to tight end George Kittle just before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter. Christian McCaffrey capped a 74-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The contest was tied 3-3 until 4:15 remained in the third quarter, at which point Broncos punt returner Marvin Mims lost a fumble that led to a San Francisco touchdown. For Denver, quarterback Bo Nix completed 25 of 42 passes for 214 yards, and Jaylen Waddle scored his first touchdown for the Denver Broncos.

Later in the game, Broncos kicker Wil Lutz missed a 58-yard field goal attempt with 1:18 left to play.

This report also draws on coverage from Pro Football Talk, Fox Sports, CBS Sports.

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