Dre Greenlaw Made it Personal with Sean Payton on Sunday
Dre Greenlaw yelled at Sean Payton on Sunday and celebrated in his face after the win.
Two times the cameras caught Dre Greenlaw talking trash and/or celebrating in Sean Payton's face.
Greenlaw made the 24-14 49ers win over the Denver Broncos, his team from last year, personal.
Dre Greenlaw Made it Personal, Yelling at Sean Payton on Sunday
Dre Greenlaw was a complete disappointment for the Broncos last year.
After tearing his Achilles running onto the field during Super Bowl LVIII in 2024, he spent most of the 2024 season on the sideline and played in two games for the 49ers. Then he was let go, and signed by the Broncos.
In Denver, Greenlaw missed the first six weeks of 2025 before finally playing, missing another game, and ultimately playing in only eight regular season games. He did suit up for and play in Denver's two playoff games as well.
But even when he was on the field, Greenlaw played like a shadow of his former self. He also got suspended a game for contact with an official.
Greenlaw said this offseason he just wasn't happy in the Mile High City.
“Now I’ve got to slowly come in and take reps from somebody else, which the linebackers were playing really, really good at the time, so now I’m just taking reps from this guy. And now it’s like, OK, we’re splitting reps, how are we going to do it? One week it’s this, one week it’s that, and it’s like, I’ve never been in that position before. Yeah, I just wasn’t happy. That’s really what it boiled down to at the end of the day.”
The Broncos released Greenlaw in March to free up cap space.
He was re-signed by the 49ers this offseason and likely had this game circled on his calendar.
Here he is yelling at Payton after making a tackle.
“I told him to get the f—k off the field,” Greenlaw said, via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “That’s it: ‘Get the f—k off the field.’”
After the game, Greenlaw got close to Payton at midfield. He celebrated and even swung his arm over Payton's head.
[Highlight] Dre Greenlaw had to be held back by Fred Warner after today's game as he celebrated in front of Sean Payton. Greenlaw made it clear that today’s game against the Broncos, the team he played for last season, was personal.
by u/JCameron181 in nfl
"I was half blacked out, but I just know my teammates just had my back, and they just told me to be smart," Greenlaw said. "I'm thankful to have the teammates that just have my back and just understand me. ... They helped a lot."
Payton was asked about the interactions after the game.
“No, and I said this to Kyle [Shanahan] afterwards, I think the
world of him," Payton said of Greenlaw after the game. "I really love everything about him and he plays with that emotion. So, it’s all good.”
Kyle Shanahan and all of Greenlaw's teammates knew this was a huge game for the veteran linebacker as they mentioned it postgame. It was personal for him, after dealing with injuries most of last year with the Broncos.
"We knew he'd be excited going into this game," Shanahan said after the win. "Dre's excited going into every game, but this one meant a little more to him. I was a little nervous there in the first half. We told him you can get close, but don't be so excited you give them an explosive with 15 [yards]..."
Rich Kurtzman
It's unclear what happened between Payton and Greenlaw last year in Denver. Was Payton rude to Greenlaw at some point, or even when breaking the news of the team moving on from him?
What exactly made him want to get revenge so much he taunted Payton on the sideline (legally?), and then blacked out when he saw Payton after the game?
Well, apparently Greenlaw didn't appreciate Payton not calling him when the Broncos cut him.
“The disrespect,” Greenlaw said. “He couldn’t be man to man and call my phone and say, ‘We’re going to cut you.’”
One look at Reddit and you'll see how much fans around the league hate Sean Payton. They're not shy about saying just that.
And there's no doubt he rubs people the wrong way. Look at how it went with Russell Wilson here in 2023. Even the way he's talked about Bo Nix's injuries in the public has raised eyebrows.
He also called Jacksonville a "small-market team" last year and he accused Mike Macdonald of cheating last year, with the two sides having a "cold war" over the allegations going public.
Clearly, Payton gets under peoples' skin.
And that seemingly includes Dre Greenlaw, who made it personal with Payton and the Broncos on Sunday.
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Rich Kurtzman was born and raised in Denver Colorado and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins in the aughts. He's been a professional writer since 2011, covering Colorado State football and men's basketball, as well as the Denver Broncos, for many outlets. Current Denver Broncos work can be found on Mile High Sports. Previous credits include CBS Denver and The USA TODAY Sports Media Group.
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