NFL Fines 49ers Linebacker Dre Greenlaw $11,941 for Taunting Sean Payton and Broncos Bench

The NFL fined San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw $11,941 for taunting the Denver Broncos' bench during Sunday's Week 4 matchup, according to a league source cited by Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston on Tuesday, October 6.

The 49ers beat the Broncos 24-14 at Levi's Stadium. Greenlaw led San Francisco with 12 tackles. He also spent the afternoon settling a score with his former head coach.

Two Separate Flashpoints

The first incident happened during the game. Greenlaw made a tackle near the Denver sideline, then pointed at Payton and said something while Payton simply nodded, according to Niners Noise. Based on the fine's description, that in-game sideline taunting is what triggered the NFL penalty, not what happened after the final whistle, according to Broncos Wire.

The second incident came after the game. As players shook hands at midfield, Greenlaw approached Payton directly. Video shot by 9News Denver captured him saying, "Hey! You get the f--- off my field!" Teammate Fred Warner, a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker, pulled Greenlaw away before things escalated further, according to Niners Noise.

Greenlaw didn't deny any of it. "I told him to get the [expletive] off the field," he told the San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch afterward. "That's it. 'Get the [expletive] off the field.'"

Why Greenlaw Is Still Angry

Greenlaw signed a three-year, $31.5 million contract with Denver before the 2025 season. The stint did not go well. He missed nine games, eight to injury and one to suspension, finishing with 43 tackles in eight regular-season appearances plus 10 more in the playoffs as the Broncos reached the AFC Championship Game.

Denver released him in March, a move that saved the team roughly $8 million, according to Broncos Wire. Greenlaw signed a one-year, $7.5 million deal with San Francisco three days later, returning to the franchise that drafted him in the fifth round in 2019.

Greenlaw's issue isn't that he got cut. It's how he found out. "The disrespect," he told the Chronicle. "He couldn't be man-to-man and call my phone and say, 'We're going to cut you.'" He said it was his agent, not Payton or anyone on the Broncos' staff, who delivered the news.

Greenlaw also told the Chronicle that Payton stopped speaking to him after Week 12 of last season, as his injury dragged on. "He definitely was [avoiding me], for sure," Greenlaw said, describing Payton walking past him without eye contact. "So I just knew what it was [with him] there."

Payton's Response

Payton, who is in his fourth season leading a Broncos team that sits at 2-2 after last year's AFC title game run, declined to fire back. "No," he said when asked if there was animosity between them. "I think the world of him. I really love everything about him and he plays with that emotion. So, it's all good."

Niners Noise characterized that answer as avoiding a direct address of Greenlaw's specific claims about the agent-delivered release and the silent treatment. Other outlets, including Fox Sports and Newsweek, reported Payton's comments without that framing, presenting them simply as a coach declining to escalate a public dispute with a former player.

Neither Payton nor the Broncos organization has publicly disputed Greenlaw's account of how the release was communicated or the alleged silence during his injury. No rebuttal from Payton on those specific points appears in any of the available reporting.

What Happens Next

Greenlaw is tied with Warner for the team lead in solo tackles this season and has 34 total tackles and a forced fumble through four games, a strong early return on a one-year deal roughly a fifth the size of the contract Denver cut him from. The $11,941 fine is a rounding error against that salary, and nothing in the reporting indicates whether Greenlaw plans to appeal it through the NFL Players Association's standard grievance process. The 49ers improved to 4-0. The Broncos dropped to 2-2 and now have to figure out whether this was the last time these two cross paths before Greenlaw's one-year deal with San Francisco runs out.