49ers pay the price for actions of player who hasn't even been on the field this season

The San Francisco 49ers have paid a heavy price so far this season for Dre Greenlaw's continued absence with the Achilles tear he suffered in Super Bowl 58.

San Francisco has struggled to replace linebacker Greenlaw during the 2024 campaign, with veteran De'Vondre Campbell proving consistently vulnerable in pass coverage.

And Greenlaw's first involvement of the 2024 campaign cost San Francisco from a financial perspective.

Greenlaw's return to the field is not imminent, but he was part of a scuffle during the 49ers' Week 5 defeat to the Arizona Cardinals last week, which saw him shove Cardinals tight end Trey McBride.

While that may seem to be a minor infraction, the NFL has come down hard on both. Greenlaw and the 49ers.

Indeed, the league fined Greenlaw $14,069 for unsportsmanlike conduct while hitting the Niners with a 100,000 sanction for the incident.

It is not clear when Greenlaw will be able to make his return this season and, for now, he remains on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.

However, if and when he does make his comeback from an injury that had a critical say in the 49ers coming up short in the Super Bowl, Greenlaw may feel an even greater pressure to make up for lost time after hurting the franchise's finances.

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