The San Francisco 49ers’ victorious trip to Australia featured a significant personal milestone for Fred Warner.
Warner, playing his ninth season for the Niners since being drafted out of BYU, has passed Hall of Famer Patrick Willis to become the all-time leading tackler in the history of the iconic franchise.
The second of Warner’s 11 tackles Thursday against the Rams officially put him ahead of Willis in the San Francisco record books. Warner now boasts 959 career stops and was awarded the game ball from head coach Kyle Shanahan following the 49ers’ 27-7 victory.
Between 2018-24, Warner averaged 124 tackles per season to establish himself as one of the top linebackers in the NFL.
The former Cougars standout has been named a first-team All-Pro on four occasions, played in two Super Bowls and is currently the highest-paid player at his position in league history.
In addition to his 11 tackles Thursday night, Warner forced a fumble and deflected a pass against the Rams, which marked his return to the field after suffering a season-ending ankle injury this past October.
Warner has 10 sacks, 18 forced fumbles, 10 interceptions and two defensive touchdowns in his career, even intercepting Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl back in 2020.
In four seasons at BYU, Warner made 261 tackles with 6.5 sacks, 11 passes defended, two forced fumbles, seven interceptions and a pair of touchdowns.