Dre Greenlaw was clearly on a mission to get revenge against the Denver Broncos in Week 4, and he got it.
But simply beating the Broncos on the scoreboard was clearly not enough for Greenlaw. He took the way things went with the Broncos in 2025 personally and made that very clear both during and after the game.
Greenlaw made a point to find Payton after the game, and told him to, "Get the f*** off the field." It wasn't the first interaction they had on Sunday afternoon, as Greenlaw found Payton on the sideline during the game and was shouting something at him after making a tackle.
It's clear that Greenlaw absolutely hated his time in Denver, and he didn't mince words about wanting revenge against Denver.
Failed Broncos free agent signing Dre Greenlaw made the loss vs. 49ers hurt
Greenlaw was playing angry, and he was playing well for the 49ers' defense as the Broncos fell in San Francisco.
He ended up leading the 49ers with 12 total tackles and 7 solo tackles, and was absolutely flying all over the field to disrupt the Broncos' offense.
Dre Greenlaw did not hold back when talking about his relationship with Sean Payton.
— Harrison Rich (@harrisonrich_) October 5, 2026
Greenlaw told @Eric_Branch his agent informed him of the Broncos releasing him in March: "(Payton) couldn’t be man to man and call my phone and say, ‘We’re going to cut you.’” https://t.co/t9VUoDlGrB pic.twitter.com/bMMZxDknFq
Part of Greenlaw's frustration with Sean Payton and the Broncos stemmed from Payton allegedly "ignoring" him from Week 12 on last season. Greenlaw feels like Payton ignored him last year because he was disappointed with the return on investment the Broncos were getting from him as a big-money free agent signing.
His frustration with Payton and the Broncos compounded when he took it personally that he heard about his release through his agent and not from Payton himself. And perhaps there is a nugget of truth there that Payton can learn from, but the decision to cut Greenlaw wasn't strictly because the Broncos were disappointed in his 2025 performance or impact.
Greenlaw stated previously that he was dealing with depression while he was with the Broncos, and that he was battling a lot emotionally, mentally, and physically as well. The Broncos opted to let him go at the beginning of the offseason, choosing to re-sign both Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad to be their starting linebackers.
The impact we've seen so far this season from Greenlaw with the 49ers is precisely the type of impact the Broncos thought they would be getting when they signed him last offseason. Unfortunately, it's not just as easy as swapping jerseys in the NFL. There is a lot involved in making a successful transition to a different franchise, and the circumstances were just rough with Greenlaw from the start.
He missed a ton of time due to injuries, spent a lot of time in the training room, and was suspended for a game last year after an interaction with an official on the field following a victory.
In many ways, Greenlaw is justified in trying to get revenge against the Broncos. Simply the fact that he was cut after one year painted him in a bad light, and he understandably took it personally.
On the other hand, there is a certain point at which you're taking things too far, and Greenlaw crossed that line a time or two during (and after) the game. There was one play, in particular, in which Broncos tight end Evan Engram caught a pass. Greenlaw was the closest player in coverage, and Engram was on the ground. All Greenlaw had to do was "touch" him down, but instead of tapping him or giving him a run-of-the-mill two-hand touch, he shoved Engram's head into the ground with some unnecessary force.
Sean Payton takes the high road on Dre Greenlaw
Here is what Broncos head coach Sean Payton had to say about the way Greenlaw played after the game:
"I think the world of him. I really love everything about him and he plays with that emotion. So, it’s all good.”
- Sean Payton (via Broncos PR)
Nothing good would come from Payton trying to use his platform after the game to fire back at Greenlaw, and he probably has no interest in doing so, anyway. It's possible that Payton realizes releasing Greenlaw was a mistake, and that he's simply having to take his due punishment in this case.
Greenlaw got his revenge against Payton and the Broncos in a big way on Sunday. He made sure they felt him.
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