49ers' Luke Gifford: Dealing with hamstring injury
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Gifford did not practice Saturday due to a hamstring injury, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
Gifford may have picked up the injury earlier in the week. His status for Thursday's preseason opener against the Titans will depend on whether he's cleared to return to practice leading up to the game. Gifford contributed mostly on special teams during the 2025 regular season, finishing with 35 tackles (12 solo) and one pass defense across 17 games.
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49ers' Luke Gifford: Staying in San Francisco
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The 49ers and Gifford agreed to terms on a two-year, $5.3 million extension Friday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
The Nebraska product is now set to remain in San Francisco after spending his 2025 campaign with the 49ers. Across 17 regular-season games last year, Gifford tallied 35 total tackles and one pass defensed, logging 523 total snaps (353 on special teams, 170 on defense). He's expected to play a key role on San Francisco's special-teams unit during the 2026 season.
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49ers' Luke Gifford: Gearing up Saturday
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Gifford (quadriceps) will play in Saturday's divisional-round game versus the Seahawks.
Gifford missed the wild-card win over the Eagles, but he'll return to the lineup to take on the 49ers' division rival. Gifford's defensive usage varies on a week-to-week basis, but he has played more than 10 defensive snaps just once in the past seven games. The veteran linebacker will certainly have a key role on special teams, though.
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49ers' Luke Gifford: Could play in divisional round
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Gifford (quadriceps) is listed as questionable for Saturday's NFC divisional-round tilt against Seattle, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.
Gifford was unable to play in the 49ers' wild-card win against the Eagles due to a quadriceps injury. He earned himself the questionable tag for Saturday after putting together a DNP-DNP-LP practice log, and his status may not be officially known until approximately 90 minutes before the 8:00 p.m. ET kickoff, when San Francisco announces its inactive players. With Dee Winters (ankle) also questionable, Curtis Robinson and Garret Wallow could join Eric Kendricks as the 49ers' starting linebackers for the divisional round.
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49ers' Luke Gifford: Estimated as DNP on Tuesday
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Gifford (quadriceps) did not participate in Tuesday's walkthrough practice, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Gifford was held out of the 49ers' NFC wild-card round win over the Eagles on Sunday due to a quadriceps injury he sustained against the Seahawks in Week 18. He hasn't progressed enough in his recovery to return to practice, but he'll have two more chances to log at least a limited session ahead of Saturday's NFC divisional-round clash against Seattle.
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49ers' Luke Gifford: Won't play in wild-card round
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Gifford (quadriceps) is inactive for Sunday's wild-card game versus the Eagles.
Gifford suffered a quad injury during the Week 18 loss to Seattle. He and fellow starting outside linebacker Dee Winters (ankle) will now both be sidelined for Sunday's contest. In their absence, expect Curtis Robinson and Garret Wallow to both start alongside middle linebacker Eric Kendricks.
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49ers' Luke Gifford: Questionable for wild-card round
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Gifford (quadriceps) is listed as questionable for Sunday's wild-card game against the Eagles, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Gifford and Dee Winters (ankle) both got hurt in Week 18 against the Seahawks, leaving each of San Francisco's starting outside linebackers questionable for Sunday's playoff matchup. Eric Kendricks, Curtis Robinson and Garret Wallow are the only remaining healthy options in the 49ers' injury-riddled linebacking corps.
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49ers' Luke Gifford: Will play Sunday
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Gifford (hip/neck) is good to go for San Francisco's matchup versus the Browns on Sunday, Noah Furtado of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Gifford will continue to play through the hip and neck injuries that he's been dealing with for a few weeks. The 30-year-old should once again serve as one of the team's starting linebackers during Sunday's matchup.
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49ers' Luke Gifford: Cleared to play Monday
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Gifford (hip/neck) is active for Monday's game against the Panthers, Briana Jeannel of the 49ers' official site reports.
Gifford had his practice reps limited during Week 12 prep due to hip and neck injuries, but the seventh-year pro has been cleared to play in Monday's game. He has split his snaps between defense and special teams this season, but he could have a more prominent role on defense Monday due to the absences of Tatum Bethune (ankle) and Fred Warner (IR, ankle). Gifford has accumulated 28 tackles (nine solo) and one pass defense through 11 regular-season games.
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49ers' Luke Gifford: Questionable for Week 12
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Gifford (hip/neck) is questionable for Monday night's game against the Panthers, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Gifford was limited in practice all week after appearing on the injury report with apparent hip and neck injuries, which he may have suffered in Week 11 against the Cardinals. The 30-year-old still has a chance to play, but should he be inactive, Curtis Robinson may get a larger snap count for Week 12.
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49ers' Luke Gifford: Questionable for Sunday
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Gifford (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Houston, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Gifford was a limited participant at practice Friday, so it seems his availability for Week 8 is close to a coin-flip proposition. He's played most of his snaps so far this year on special teams, so the 49ers will have to try to replace his production in that phase if he can't go.
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Titans' Luke Gifford: Ruled out Sunday
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Gifford (concussion) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's matchup versus the Titans, Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com reports.
Gifford won't return Sunday after suffering a concussion during the first half of the game. He had recorded an interception and racked up eight tackles (five solo) prior to exiting the game, and in his absence, James Williams and Cedric Gray should be in line for increased playing time.
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Luke Gifford: Let go by Titans
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Gifford was released by the Titans on Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Gifford has played almost exclusively on special teams since entering the league in 2019. He posted just six tackles last season, and he'll likely land on the team's practice squad if he clears waivers.
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Titans' Luke Gifford: In concussion protocol
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Gifford exited Saturday night's preseason game against the 49ers with a head injury and is in concussion protocol, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.
Gifford made a tackle on the exhibition's opening kickoff. The special teams specialist will now need to advance through the league's protocol before being allowed back on the field. Turning 29 later this month, Gifford is entering his second season in Tennessee after spending the first four years of his career in Dallas.
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Titans' Luke Gifford: Active for Week 11
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Gifford (shin) is active for Sunday's game against the Jaguars.
Gifford picked up the shin injury during the week, and despite not practicing Friday, he'll suit up in Week 11. He's played almost exclusively on special teams this season and is likely to stick in that role against the Jaguars.
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Cowboys' Luke Gifford: Gets core-muscle surgery
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Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones said Wednesday that Gifford recently underwent core-muscle surgery, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Including the postseason, Gifford played in all but one of the Cowboys' 19 games in 2022, seeing most of his playing time on special teams. It's unclear to what extent the core-muscle injury may have affected his performance, but after getting surgery, Gifford will now aim to make a full recovery by the time Dallas' offseason program begins.
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Cowboys' Luke Gifford: Added to injury report
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Gifford (hamstring) is questionable to play in Monday's game against the Giants, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Gifford was limited during Dallas' practice Sunday after participating in full throughout this week. The fourth-year linebacker tallied one tackle while playing exclusively on special teams (44 snaps) over the first two games this season. However, Gifford's potential absence would leave the Cowboys shorthanded behind starting weakside linebacker Anthony Barr.
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Cowboys' Luke Gifford: Not present at practice
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Gifford (groin) was not practicing Monday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
The nature of Gifford's injury isn't clear at this point, and there's no concrete timetable for his recovery. As Dallas awaits the return of the 26-year-old special-teams contributor, his absence should create an increase in opportunities for 2022 sixth-rounder Devin Harper at linebacker.
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Cowboys' Luke Gifford: Suspension comes to end
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Gifford's two-game suspension was lifted Thursday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Gifford was forced to sit out two weeks for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, however, his official return appears to be on the horizon. The Nebraska product currently has a roster exemption, but it likely won't be long before he is cleared to return to team activities. He's appeared in six contests this season for the Cowboys, garnering just one defensive snap compared to 121 on special teams.
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Cowboys' Luke Gifford: Set for expanded role?
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Gifford (arm) is a candidate to see increased playing time during the 2020 season, Nick Eatman of the Cowboys' official site reports.
Gifford appeared in six contests as a rookie in 2019, during which he handled a role on special teams. Undergoing surgery to address a fractured left arm cut the Nebraska product's debut campaign short, but he's expected to make a full recovery this offseason. With Sean Lee's future in Dallas uncertain and Leighton Vander Esch recovering from neck surgery, Gifford could realistically carve out a rotational role on defense in 2020 if he's able to get back to full health and take a step forward in his development.
