How fans want 49ers to approach Greenlaw, Hufanga contract decisions originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The 49ers have several decisions to make in NFL free agency this coming offseason, but Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga are at the top of the Faithful’s wish list.
Before San Francisco’s 29-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, NBC Sports Bay Area asked 49ers fans what they believe the team should do with two of its top defenders set to become free agents in 2025 — and a majority want both to come back.
A whopping 60 percent of 49ers fans want San Francisco to re-sign Greenlaw and Hufanga. Even after the linebacker and safety dealt with injuries throughout the 2024 NFL season, their impact is unmatched when they are healthy and on the field.
While Greenlaw has experienced setbacks since returning from a torn Achilles in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Rams, he led the team with eight tackles before exiting early in the third quarter of that game. He left Sunday’s loss in the first quarter with calf soreness, and coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday it will be Greenlaw’s decision if he plays in their final two games this season.
But the 49ers — Greenlaw’s teammates especially — know how valuable the 27-year-old is to the defense.
“I’m praying we re-sign him back, get our dog back,” Deommodore Lenoir said after Greenlaw’s season debut. “He looked well worth it.”
Hufanga has dealt with his own injury misfortune this season, returning from an ACL tear in Week 3 only to be sidelined first by an ankle impingement and then a wrist injury before coming back for good in Week 14 against the Chicago Bears.
And just like Greenlaw up front, Hufanga has made all the difference for San Francisco in the backfield.
“Just to get [Hufanga] out there, the emotions of it I think sparked our team,” Shanahan said after the 49ers-Bears game. “It looked like he played real well, just from what I saw live. I’ll see on the tape, but just the type of guy Huf is, getting him back on the field with us throughout the week, and then in the game, I think fired our guys up.”
It’s clear the Faithful share the same sentiment.
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