Programming note: Watch Matt Maiocco’s full interview with John Lynch on “49ers Game Plan,” airing at 9 p.m. PT Friday.
Obviously, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner did not consider the fractured and dislocated right ankle he sustained in Week 6 to be a season-ending injury.
Warner is pointing toward a return to the field before the 49ers are finished playing football this season. And, yes, he has said as much to general manager John Lynch.
“Every day,” Lynch said, laughing, on the latest episode of “49ers Game Plan,” which debuted Friday. “Every day.”
The 49ers are on the bye week, but the rehab and physical therapy work continues for Warner, who sustained his grisly injury eight weeks ago against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 12.
So is it really possible that Warner could rejoin his teammates if the 49ers can string together a postseason run?
“Well, medically, no,” Lynch said on “49ers Game Plan.” “I mean, the docs say it’s probably on the wrong side of the range that they would suggest. But even the docs with Fred say, ‘You know what, let him rehab as if he’s coming back for something and we’ll see where he’s at.”
The 49ers (9-4) currently occupy the seventh and final NFC playoff spot. With Chicago and Green Bay playing on Sunday, the 49ers are guaranteed to move up at least one spot while they sit out the Week 14 games.
The first round of the playoffs will take place the weekend of Jan. 10 and 11. At that point, it will be 13 weeks from the day he sustained the injury.
Warner, a four-time All-Pro selection, is going to push his body to the point where he gives himself a chance to get back on the field, Lynch said.
“I think it’s outside the realm, and I promise you, it’s our duty, with a player like Fred, not to ever put himself in harm’s way in terms of not being ready,” Lynch said.
“And so we’ll follow the orders of the doctors. They’ll control this, but Fred is going to push the limits, and he is doing everything possible. He lives in a hyperbaric chamber [for] two, three hours a day. He’s here all the time. He’s unbelievable, this guy. It’s what made him who he is.”
Defensive end Nick Bosa sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the 49ers’ Week 3 game against Arizona. He has also impressed Lynch with his approach to putting in the work during his rehabilitation sessions. Bosa is aiming to be ready for the opening of the 2026 season.
“When you watch someone go through a rehab — Nick’s very much the same way — when you watch him go and attack this rehab, it speaks to who they are as players,” Lynch said.
“Aside from their God-given talents, they have that will to be different, and outperform any range that any doctor’s going to give them, and it’s kind of fun to watch. It makes me excited to have them a part of us.”
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