San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw had a message for his former head coach after helping beat the Denver Broncos 24-14 on Sunday: he says Sean Payton never called him to tell him he was being cut.
Greenlaw finished the game with 12 tackles and a forced fumble, then had to be pulled away from Payton by teammate Fred Warner during a postgame exchange on the field. Greenlaw told a San Francisco Chronicle reporter that Payton hadn’t spoken to him since Week 12 of last season and that he found out about his release from his agent, not from the coach himself.
“He couldn’t be man to man and call my phone and say, ‘We’re going to cut you,'” Greenlaw said.
Payton offered a different tone when asked about Greenlaw after the game: “I think the world of him. I really love everything about him and he plays with that emotion.”
Greenlaw’s own account of what he told Payton on the field was blunter. He said his postgame message was to “get the f*** off the field.”
A Separate Dispute With Seattle’s Coach
Greenlaw’s complaint surfaced alongside another dispute involving Payton this season. Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has described an earlier conflict with Payton that grew heated enough that Seattle threatened legal action.
According to Macdonald, Payton accused the Seahawks of cheating after learning that Seattle’s staff had studied publicly available fan videos of Broncos training camp ahead of a 2024 matchup between the two teams. Payton later acknowledged he reacted before confirming where the footage came from, saying: “So obviously, I called shooting before I started looking.”
Macdonald later apologized for his comments becoming public, called Payton a “phenomenal football coach” and said he respected him. Payton accepted the apology, and both men have said they consider the matter settled.
Payton’s Record, By the Numbers
Payton spent 15 seasons coaching the New Orleans Saints, making the playoffs nine times, reaching three NFC Championship Games and winning one Super Bowl, following the 2009 season. He also served a full-season suspension in 2012 over the Bountygate scandal. Payton left the Saints in January 2022 and returned to the NFL with Denver a year later; the Broncos reached last season’s AFC Championship Game.
Quarterback Bo Nix, whom Payton selected for Denver, has seen his completion percentage decline each season — from 66% as a rookie to 63% last year to 60% through four games this season. His yards per attempt, passer rating and touchdown-to-interception ratio have also slipped, from 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions as a rookie to 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions since the start of 2025.
Greenlaw’s comments, paired with Macdonald’s account, have fueled renewed public criticism of Payton’s coaching reputation this week, even as Payton publicly praised the linebacker he reportedly never called.
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