The San Francisco GM and Broncos Ring of Fame safety signed the linebacker after the Broncos’ release.

PHOENIX — It hasn’t always been the Broncos robbing players from the 49ers.

It seemed that way after the Broncos signed away former 49ers D.J. Jones, Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga in recent years.

But in John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco is going on a decade with football leadership that first grew deep Denver roots. Lynch, the 49ers’ general manager since 2017, had four Pro Bowl seasons as a Broncos safety from 2004-07, which became part of his Pro Football Hall of Fame resume.

Shanahan, the 49ers head coach since 2017, grew up in Denver, played receiver at Cherry Creek High School and is the son of Broncos Ring of Fame head coach Mike Shanahan.

But in the competitive NFL, business always supersedes sentimentality, and Lynch is happy to have Greenlaw back on his side. A hard-hitting, if injury-prone inside linebacker, Greenlaw was drafted by the 49ers, spent six years with them, then signed as a free agent last year with the Broncos — even though Lynch and Shanahan flew to his Houston home to make a last-minute pitch to retain him. 

It just didn’t work out for Greenlaw in Denver. He was injured from the jump and missed nine games last season. Unable to play like the Greenlaw of old, the Broncos released him in March in large part to save $9.5 million.

The 49ers quickly signed him back on a one-year, $6 million deal.

“We’re glad to have him back,” Lynch said here Sunday while strolling through the Arizona Biltmore Resort at the NFL’s annual meetings. “He’s been a good player for us for a long time, and we missed him last year. He’s good for our defense and a great teammate and he has a strong presence in our locker room.”

With the Broncos, Greenlaw suffered a strained quad during the first week of the Broncos’ offseason program last April. He missed six games because of the quad, then another with a one-game suspension for allegedly threatening referee Brad Allen, and the final two regular-season games because of a hamstring strain.

All those aches and pains no doubt hampered Greenlaw’s play, as he didn’t make the type of impact the Broncos saw on film from his 49ers days. Injuries were also part of Greenlaw’s past with the 49ers.

“We take risks with all these players,” Lynch said. “We understand there’s been some with Dre, but we’ve had him for a long time and we’re excited to bring him back in the fold.”