SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Before linebacker Dre Greenlaw signed with the Denver Broncos in the spring of 2025, he was already questioning whether leaving the San Francisco 49ers was the right thing to do.
By the time coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch flew to Texas to try to talk Greenlaw into staying with the only NFL team he'd ever known, Greenlaw had already committed to signing with the Broncos.
Despite their efforts and true to his word, Greenlaw followed through and signed with Denver. What followed was a season that Greenlaw now calls "real tough." The Broncos released him on March 12, almost a year to the day after he'd signed a three-year, $35 million deal.
Hitting the open market for the second time in as many years, Greenlaw had no doubt that he wanted to continue his football career in the place he wished he'd never left.
"I didn't think about [going] nowhere else, honestly," Greenlaw said. "I was coming back here."