The San Francisco 49ers didn’t have much to go their way in the NFC Divisional Round loss to the Seattle Seahawks. As you might expect, things did get heated, but one thing that stood out was what looked like cornerback Renardo Green getting chewed out:
So what got us here? Well, the 49ers had a nice sack of Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold on first down to make it second and 20. The Seahawks converted on the very next play. Green looks like he’s not playing the route correctly. Cooper Kupp ran by him for the catch right at the first down marker. Safety Malik Mustapha had to push Kupp out of bounds to make sure he didn’t get more.
From the looks of things, Green was kept out briefly. In his absence, the 49ers called on Darrell Luter, and the Seahawks had an answer with Jackson Smith-Njigba:
Wonderful.
So what did Kyle Shanahan say?
“Nothing in particular,” Shanahan said in his post-game press conference. “ Just coaching him on a certain play, certain technique, and just coaching aggressively.”
Green re-entered the game shortly thereafter. Shanahan said they wanted to talk to the second-year cornerback about a “certain coverage.”
Green did return to the game, though there has been speculation that it might be similar to Ahkello Witherspoon from a few years back. In the 2019-2020 NFC Divisional Round, Witherspoon botched coverage that opened the door for a Minnesota Vikings touchdown. Shanahan had enough and pulled Witherspoon from the game.
Is Green in the same doghouse? Well, he did re-enter the game. Then again, the alternative is what you see above: Darrell Luter. Green had a promising rookie season, but his second year has had its ups and downs. He notched only one interception in 2024, a crucial one that helped the 49ers begin putting the game out of reach against the Seattle Seahawks.
In 2025, he has zero interceptions. Shanahan says it’s just coaching, and it’s just Green’s second year. We’ll see with the decisions in the secondary if the 49ers are starting to sour on him.
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