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Patrick Willis rooting for Fred Warner to pass his 49ers all-time tackles record
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- Patrick Willis rooting for Fred Warner to pass his 49ers all-time tackles record
Patrick Willis rooting for Fred Warner to pass his 49ers all-time tackles record originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
As he eyes his return to action in 2026, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner is just a few tackles away from rewriting the team's history books.
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Heading into San Francisco 's 30-19 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 12, Warner found himself thinking he'd surpass franchise legend Patrick Willis for the No. 1 spot on the team's all-time tackling leaders list. Instead, Warner ended up recording just one tackle before going down with a season-ending ankle injury.
While many players of past generations don't love being erased from history books, Willis revealed on a recent episode of the "Real Ones" podcast that he is rooting for Warner to obtain the record.
"I just got chills right now just thinking about," Willis said to Warner when the current linebacker discussed surpassing him. "Because I want to preface this, too, and say it while I'm on here with you. A lot of people don't understand records…All those things are meant to be broken. It's all about the next generation, and the next generation and the next generation."
Willis, who was named to six All-Pro teams in eight years with the 49ers, recorded 950 total tackles en route to his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in 2024. Later in the conversation, Willis went as far as to say that seeing Warner chase his record makes him "happy." To take it a step further, the former hard-hitting 49ers linebacker told Warner to "go get it."
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It's difficult to replace a player as talented as Willis, but Warner certainly has given him a run for his money. In his eight-year NFL career, Warner has been named to four All-Pro teams and currently is at 948 total tackles.
It's unclear exactly when Warner will return, but the next time he does could see him make some pretty special history.
