49ers star linebacker Fred Warner suffers gruesome ankle injury vs Bucs

San Francisco 49ers star linebacker Fred Warner suffered a gruesome ankle injury that led to him getting an air cast and carted off the field against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon. 

The injury occurred midway through the first quarter, as Buccaneers running back Rachaad White picked up a 10-yard run with Ji’Ayir Brown tackling him. But, while making the play to get White down on the turf, Brown rolled into Warner, and it appeared his ankle got caught underneath his body. 

A video review showed the brutal nature of the injury, and both 49ers and Buccaneers players were motioning to the sideline to have medical personnel come out quickly. Buccaneers receiver Tez Johnson was one of those, and he even put his hands on his helmet in disbelief after seeing Warner’s injury up close. 

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San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner (54) warms up before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Oct. 12, 2025. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)

It wasn’t long before the 49ers’ medical team put an air cast on Warner, and he was on the back of a cart on the way to the tunnel. Warner seemed in disbelief as he stared onto the field. 

If the injury is severe enough to end Warner’s season, it would be another critical defensive piece for this 49ers team lost for the remainder of the season. 

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San Francisco already lost star defensive end Nick Bosa, who tore his ACL in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals. Warner, the middle linebacker who is a defensive captain for the 49ers, would be a massive loss.  

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White (1) runs for a gain past San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner (54) during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium on Oct. 12, 2025. (Jonathan Dyer/Imagn Images)

Warner came into this game leading the 49ers in tackles (50) as well as being second on the team in passes defended (3). Warner has also forced two fumbles and recovered one this season.

Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers is carted off of the field after being injured during the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the game at Raymond James Stadium on Oct. 12, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

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The eight-year veteran out of BYU has totaled at least 130 tackles in each season since 2021, solidifying himself as one of the best linebackers in the NFL. 

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