Fred Warner recently received a massive contract extension from the San Francisco 49ers, making him the highest-paid middle linebacker in the NFL. The deal is for 3 years, $63 million, with $56 million guaranteed. It’s a solid contract that ensures the All-Pro stays in the Bay Area through 2029.
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However, one Redditor still feels as though Warner is underpaid, and he took the time to explain why. His post on the social media website generated a ton of buzz as other NFL fans reacted to the idea that the linebacker is underpaid. Some called it foolish, while others thought Warner was preaching to the choir. So, who’s right?
The original poster-maker of the video equated Warner’s case with Saquon Barkley, questioning why the NFL is so obsessed with position groups when it comes to market value rather than player value. At one point, they even called it a broken system.
“This isn’t just about Fred. Look at what happened with Saquon Barkley. The Giants couldn’t justify paying him what he deserved just because he plays running back,” wrote the user.
“Then they turned around and gave more money to Darius Slayton, a wide receiver who doesn’t scare a single defensive coordinator in the league. Why? Because WR is seen as a more “valuable” position. Not because Slayton is better. Not because he helps the team more. Just because of the label next to his name,” they added.
By the end, the Redditor argued that this frame of thinking is ultimately hurting NFL teams. Instead of paying the best players based on their ability, teams focus on the market value of their position. This can lead to players like Saquon leaving and getting paid what they’re worth elsewhere — all while teams shell out more money to players at other positions who aren’t as skilled.
It’s an interesting thing that the Redditor noticed, and they deserve some credit. But at the same time, that’s just the market of the NFL and sports in general. Never has it been about how good the player is; it’s about how good they are compared to other players in their position. It may sound flawed, but it is what it is. Getting upset with how the market operates is like yelling at the sky.
Furthermore, the Redditor said that Warner could “cover like a CB1” for a reason why he should be paid like a cornerback. This roused the masses.
“If Fred Warner could cover like a corner, he’d be moved around outside of the MLB spot and line up at corner lol,” one joked.
“If he could cover like a corner, they’d play him at corner lmfao,” another agreed.
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Others took the time to educate the original post author about how markets work.
“If he were worth more, he should have hit free agency and collected it. He didn’t because he knew this was market value,” one professed.
“It’s not a “problem” it’s market value, it’s not something to fix….” someone else added.
All in all, people certainly had their fun picking apart this Redditor’s logic in the comments. Yet, it’s not like the original poster is completely wrong. The wide receiver and cornerback markets are extremely inflated right now. A great example is exactly what they mentioned — when Darius Slayton was paid more than Saquon made after the Giants let him walk.
But that’s just the market at the moment. There’s no correction or fix; some positions are simply valued more than others. It’s like that in all sports. So, while it may seem like Warner got hosed to some, he didn’t. He’s now the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL, a position that isn’t highly valued by most teams. It’s still a ton of money. Calling it underpaid is a bit of a stretch.
