San Francisco 49ers players are typically in contention for some of the top NFL awards at the end of the season, and the team could pick up another one in 2026.
NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks named 49ers linebacker Fred Warner as a potential, but long-shot option to win the 2026 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. If Warner won the award, it would mark the second consecutive year that a 49ers play won it after Christian McCaffrey took home the accolade in 2025.
Fully recovered from last October’s season-ending ankle injury, the heart and soul of San Francisco’s defense should be squarely in the mix for the league’s bounce-back award, even in a loaded field of candidates that is highlighted by numerous high-profile quarterbacks (Patrick Mahomes and Jayden Daniels, to name a couple). Warner’s energy, effort and disruptive impact jump off the screen when watching this unit play. With Warner coming off the first major injury of his NFL career, I think we’ll see a fanatical effort from the 29-year-old as he seeks to reclaim his standing as the league’s top linebacker. With new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris installing a scheme that will showcase Warner’s skills as a “see ball, get ball” playmaker, the four-time first-team All-Pro will make more than enough plays to grab everyone’s attention.
Warner suffered the injury in October 2025, ending what had been another dominant season for the 49ers’ defensive anchor. It marked the first significant injury of his NFL career, which makes his return all the more closely watched entering this season.
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The Comeback Player race will have no shortage of high-profile competition among the 49ers even. Not only is Warner an option, but Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport also named receiver Mike Evans and edge rusher Nick Bosa as potential candidates as well. Both are high-profile players also coming off injury-plagued seasons who could rebound in a big way in 2026.
Warner was selected to his fourth first-team All-Pro in 2024 and has established himself as the standard-bearer at his position over the past several seasons. If his recovery holds and Morris’s defense allows him to range freely, the 49ers could have a Comeback Player candidate hiding in plain sight on the defensive side of the ball.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers star named a long-shot pick for 2026 NFL award
