Tag: 49ers Rumors

Reported numbers on Deommodore Lenoir contract are bargain for 49ers

These reported contract numbers for Deommodore Lenoir are wild. The 49ers got a steal.

Initial reports on a new contract for San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir made it clear the team got a good deal on their 25-year-old breakout star.

Additional numbers provided by Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports paint an even better picture for the 49ers in the deal.

Jones reported Lenoir’s five-year deal is worth $88.8 million. The original report said it was $92 million. That puts the average annual value at $17.76 million. Lenoir still lands as the No. 12 highest-paid CB in terms of average annual value.

The numbers that matter in NFL contracts are the guarantees, and Lenoir inked a deal for just $15.5 million guaranteed at signing according to Jones’s numbers. That’s a bargain for San Francisco. Denver Broncos Patrick Surtain II is in a tier above Lenoir, but his new deal landed him $40.7 million guaranteed at signing. Chicago Bears CB Jaylon Johnson got $43.8 million guaranteed at signing.

Jones also notes Lenoir’s contract includes $43.3 million guaranteed for injury.

Overall this deal won’t do much to impact the 49ers’ ability to fit a top-of-market contract for quarterback Brock Purdy in the offseason when he becomes eligible for an extension. It also helps San Francisco shore up its secondary with an ascending star at an extremely affordable price. If these are the final numbers, the 49ers got a steal.

Update

A further breakdown of the contract was published by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.

According to Florio, “only 17 percent of Lenoir’s deal is fully guaranteed at signing; that’s the smallest full-guaranteed portion for any cornerback making more than $2 million per year.”

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49ers make apparent strength stronger in Draft Wire mock

The 49ers get a fascinating CB prospect in this Draft Wire mock:

It looks like the San Francisco 49ers might be committing to a philosophical change in the way they build their defense.

That became apparent when the club used a second-round pick on cornerback Renardo Green in the 2024 draft, and then in the middle of the 2024 season extended fourth-year CB Deommodore Lenoir on a five-year contract. It was a different type of investment in cornerback than we’ve seen from a club that has typically prioritized its defensive line and pass rush.

A new first-round mock draft from our friends at Draft Wire illustrate how that potential change in team-building style could manifest in the 2025 draft.

Draft Wire has the 49ers committing further to their secondary and adding East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel.

Revel is listed at a massive 6-foot-3, 193 pounds. In 24 games with East Carolina he racked up 71 tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, three interceptions, and 16 pass breakups. He also blocked a pair of kicks during the 2023 campaign.

While he checks a lot of boxes as a prospect, including a physical playing style that should fit in well with San Francisco, he comes with a major injury red flag. Revel tore his ACL during a September practice, which puts his status for the start of the 2025 season in question, and raises questions about how well he’d play after recovering from that injury.

On the other hand, the 49ers may be in a spot where they can afford to take a talent sliding down the draft board because of an injury. With Green and Lenoir figuring to hold down two starting spots, the 49ers could ease Revel into action.

For 49ers fans the idea of taking a player coming off an ACL tear may be off-putting given some of the organization’s failures in that area during the early-to-mid 2010s, but Revel is a top-flight talent who could round out an excellent young group of cornerbacks.

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49ers breakout star DB gets big-time contract extension

Deommodore Lenoir is locked into a new contract with the 49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers are locking up one of their top young defenders on a long-term contract.

According to Fox Sports’s Jordan Schultz, the 49ers and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir have agreed to a five-year deal worth up to $92 million. There are no details on the deal yet. The $18.4 million average annual value is the 12th-highest in the NFL among cornerbacks.

Lenoir, 25, has been one of the breakout stars of this season for San Francisco. He was due to hit free agency in the offseason, but instead he signed a deal mid-season to give himself some long-term security.

The 49ers selected Lenoir in the fifth-round of the 2021 draft. He got off to a rocky start in his first couple of seasons, but broke out in the 2022 playoffs where he snagged a pair of interceptions and didn’t allow a touchdown.

Last season was his best as a pro while bouncing between the slot and playing outside. In 2024 he’s backed up his strong 2023 campaign by being perhaps San Francisco’s best defensive back. He has two interceptions, six pass breakups, one forced fumble and a paltry 65.0 passer rating allowed when targeted according to Pro Football Focus. Lenoir has yet to allow a touchdown this season. He’s also been one of the 49ers’ best, most consistent run defenders.

It looked like the 49ers’ salary cap situation may force them to let Lenoir walk after the final year of his rookie contract was up, but now they’ve ensured he’ll be with them for at least the next few seasons.

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49ers injury updates feature bad news for leading pass catcher

Injury updates from Kyle Shanahan, including some concern for TE George Kittle.

The San Francisco 49ers appeared to escape Tampa Bay with a win and no major injury issues, but head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday had an update that featured a couple of new names.

Shanahan on Sunday after the game said cornerback Renardo Green’s toe injury was the only health issue the team was dealing with. Green is considered day-to-day according to Shanahan’s conference call with reporters on Monday.

That’s overall good news for the standout rookie CB and it doesn’t appear he’ll miss significant time, if any.

Tight end George Kittle is also dealing with what Shanahan classified as “hamstring irritation” during his conference call. He said they’ll manage Kittle throughout the week, but his status for Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks is unclear.

“Kittle had some hamstring irritation today,” Shanahan said. “So we’ll see how the week goes with him, see how he feels on Wednesday.”

Kittle had three catches for 57 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s win over the Buccaneers. He leads the team with 43 receptions, 560 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games this season. With Brandon Aiyuk already out for the season, missing Kittle for any amount of time would be a significant blow to the 49ers’ offense. He’s a go-to pass catcher for quarterback Brock Purdy and an offensive spark for the 49ers. They don’t have anyone to adequately replace his skill set, so it’ll be all hands on deck in Week 11 if the 49ers are without their All-Pro TE.

Punter Mitch Wishnowsky was dealing with a back injury in the days leading up to Week 10 and he’s now dealing with a “flare up” according to Shanahan. The club is looking into various treatment options for their punter. It’s unclear if Wishnowsky will be able to kick in Week 11. The team doesn’t have another punter on its roster or practice squad as of Monday.

The good news for San Francisco is that running back Christian McCaffrey, and WRs Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel didn’t pop up in any of Shanahan’s updates. That’s an indication they all got through the game healthy after dealing with injury problems going into Sunday.

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49ers waive RB, pave way for Christian McCaffrey return

49ers roster move, but no CMC activation yet.

The San Francisco 49ers are officially gearing up for the return of running back Christian McCaffrey.

While they haven’t officially activated McCaffrey off IR, they did make a roster move Friday to clear a 53-man roster spot for the reigning Offensive Player of the Year.

The 49ers on Friday announced running back Patrick Taylor was waived. There was no corresponding move announced, presumably because the spot is being given to McCaffrey.

Taylor joined the 49ers in the offseason and primarily contributed on special teams. He wound up seeing some action on offense while RB Jordan Mason dealt with a shoulder injury. Taylor posted seven carries for 25 yards and one catch for 12 yards on 21 snaps in Weeks 6 and 8.

McCaffrey’s return lessens the need for RB depth in San Francisco. He’ll be backed up by Mason and rookie RB Isaac Guerendo.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Taylor re-sign with the 49ers’ practice squad to work as internal depth since they don’t carry an RB on that portion of their roster.

The roster move to officially activate McCaffrey will likely occur Saturday before the 49ers visit the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. McCaffrey has missed the entire season with Achilles tendinitis. His practice window was opened Monday and he is expected to play in Week 10.

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49ers may face Buccaneers QB making 1st-career start

Baker Mayfield missed the first two practices of the week for the Buccaneers.

The San Francisco 49ers may not be the most banged up team when they visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10.

While the 49ers’ practice participation report features a slew of names, Tampa Bay’s is also crowded and includes star wide receiver Mike Evans. Their other star WR, Chris Godwin, is already on IR for the season because of an ankle injury.

Most notable on Tampa Bay’s participation reports from Wednesday and Thursday was the inclusion of quarterback Baker Mayfield. He’s dealing with a toe injury that kept him out of both of the Buccaneers’ practices to start the week.

Mayfield on Wednesday told Bucs reporters in a press conference he’s “a little sore,” but also noted he expects to play Sunday.

If Mayfield is unable to go, the Buccaneers would turn to third-year signal caller Kyle Trask for his first-career start.

Trask was a second-round pick by Tampa Bay in the 2018 draft out of Florida. Across three seasons he has played in four games and thrown only 10 passes. He’s 3-for-10 for 22 yards. His only snaps this season came in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders when he took the two kneel downs to close out a 37-20 Buccaneers win.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan would surely love to avoid Mayfield, a player he said he wasn’t eager to face in the NFC championship game last season. Mayfield is even better this year than he was a season ago. He’s leading the NFL with 23 touchdown passes while completing 71.4 percent of his throws and averaging a career-best 7.6 yards per attempt.

Sunday’s game is one the 49ers need badly. It becomes an even bigger must-win if they’re facing a first-time starting quarterback.

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Will Christian McCaffrey play this week? Injury updates for 49ers RB

49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is dealing with an Achilles injury. Here are the latest updates.

Things are looking up for San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.

After having his training camp cut short by a bout with Achilles tendinitis, McCaffrey was ruled out for Week 1 and then placed on IR for the first nine weeks of the season. Now his 21-day practice window is opened and he successfully participated in Monday’s post-Bye bonus practice ahead of a Week 10 showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the team didn’t do much in Monday’s session, but noted that McCaffrey got through it pain-free.

All eyes now turn toward the regular week of practice, which opened Wednesday. Here are the latest updates on McCaffrey:

Christian McCaffrey injury update

McCaffrey was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice. Shanahan on Wednesday told reporters the club is looking to get three days in a row of practice from the reigning Offensive Player of the Year before putting him back in the lineup for a game.

“But as long as everything goes well, it has in the rehab,” Shanahan said. “So, just as long as he doesn’t get sore and have setbacks each day with practice, usually if you get that in practice, that means it’s going to be worse in the game. So hopefully he can string together three days in a row and not have any of those.”

How long will Christian McCaffrey be out?

His return may be in Week 10, and it’s clear that’s what the team is hoping for. There’s some urgency to get him back as the postseason slips away from them. McCaffrey’s practice window was opened Nov. 4, so he’ll need to be activated by Nov. 25 at the latest, which is the Monday before Week 13.

49ers RB depth chart

If McCaffrey can’t go vs. the Buccaneers, the team will likely lean on RB Jordan Mason, who was also limited Wednesday with a shoulder injury he initially sustained in Week 6. He re-aggravated that injury in Week 8 and opened the door for rookie RB Isaac Guerendo to carve out his best game as a pro. No McCaffrey likely leads to a Mason-led backfield with Guerendo working in as a change-of-pace back. Patrick Taylor is also on the depth chart, but wouldn’t likely be a factor unless Mason and McCaffrey are both out.

Christian McCaffrey injury update great news for 49ers

A positive Christian McCaffrey update after his return to practice.

The San Francisco 49ers are on the verge of getting running back Christian McCaffrey back in games.

McCaffrey, who has missed the entire season and been on IR since Week 2 with Achilles tendinitis, returned to practice Monday after the team opened his 21-day practice window.

That he returned to practice Monday was a positive update since he spent the Bye week ramping up his rehab with more intense workouts that simulated practices.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday told reporters the Monday session went well for McCaffrey, who experienced no pain after the post-Bye bonus practice.

McCaffrey is projected to be a limited participant Wednesday.

While full participation is preferable, that McCaffrey got through Monday pain-free is a great sign for his potential Week 10 return when the 49ers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The next steps will be getting through three consecutive practices without any pain. McCaffrey’s return is essential to a potential 49ers playoff run, but they’re also unlikely to try and push him into action if he deals with even a minor setback in his recovery.

We’ll likely see limited sessions all week from McCaffrey, but they may give him a full go in Friday’s walk-through.

McCaffrey was the Offensive Player of the Year last season after leading the NFL with 339 touches, 1,459 rushing yards, 2,023 scrimmage yards and 21 touchdowns. His return will give the 49ers’ offense a boost after they struggled to score touchdowns without him in the first eight weeks.

If McCaffrey does play Sunday, he’ll be officially activated off IR on Saturday.

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Next 4 weeks of schedule will define 49ers 2024 season

The direction of the 49ers’ season will be determined by this four-week turning point.

The San Francisco 49ers’ 2024 season sits at a crossroads as they come out of their Bye week.

They hold a 4-4 record and sit on the outside looking in at the NFC playoff picture. They’re also a half game back of the Arizona Cardinals for the NFC West lead, and sitting in third place in the division because the Los Angeles Rams hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over them.

By most measures that ultimately matter, the 49ers have been a pretty middle-of-the-road club through eight games. That’s reflected in the USA TODAY NFL power rankings where they sit at No. 16 after their Bye week.

The next four weeks will define their entire year and give them an opportunity to tip toward the side that features Super Bowl contention.

San Francisco will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road in Week 10, then come home to host the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11. After that they’ll have back-to-back road contests at Green Bay and Buffalo.

Going 3-1 or 4-0 in this stretch will entrench the 49ers as a Super Bowl contender. That’d put them at either 7-5 or 8-4 with four quality wins in a row. It would also signal that the typical second-half push by San Francisco is in play.

If they split those four games or worse, they’re going to have a hard time making the postseason at all.

It’s an 18-week season, but if the 49ers are going to show they’re better than a middle-of-the-road team, it has to start with their first four games out of the Bye.

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NFL trade deadline: No major trade isn’t bad news for 49ers

The 2024 NFL trade deadline came and went with the 49ers making only one, very under-the-radar move.

The 2024 edition of the NFL trade deadline came and went with the San Francisco 49ers staying relatively quiet.

The day was headlined by CB Marshon Lattimore going from the New Orleans Saints to the Washington Commanders, edge rusher Za’Darius Smith heading from the Cleveland Browns to the Detriot Lions and wide receiver Mike Williams going from the New York Jets to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Despite multiple veteran pieces in potential positions of need being available, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan decided to hold onto their premium draft capital and add some depth on the defensive line. Just before the deadline, San Francisco dealt a future seventh-round pick to the Houston Texans for veteran defensive tackle Khalil Davis.

While they didn’t make a major move on Tuesday, help is on the way for the 49ers.

While they’ve posted an underwhelming 4-4 record through nine weeks, it’s fair to say the 49ers have yet to be healthy at any point in the first half of the season. While they will still be missing players like Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers will be getting a boost with the return of several key players.

For the first time all season, reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey is nearing a highly-anticipated return to the field after being sidelined due to an Achilles injury. Along with McCaffrey, Brock Purdy will welcome more help offensively with the soon return of Jauan Jennings.

Jennings, who has posted a breakout campaign in 2024, has missed the last two games with a hip injury. Jennings, with the addition of McCaffrey and rookie Ricky Pearsall, will give Purdy and the 49ers offense more playmakers and depth for the stretch run of the 2024 season.

While Purdy’s offensive weapons will have more flexibility, so will the 49ers’ offensive line. Veteran offensive lineman Jon Feliciano recently had his practice window opened. Feliciano started every playoff game last season. While Dominick Puni likely wont be going anywhere, Feliciano’s return fills a whole in the 49ers offensive line depth. His return also provides competition for players like center Jake Brendel.

While the 49ers still have some question marks on the defensive line, the defensive line unit was a popular group on Tuesday’s trade deadline with players like Smith and Preston Smith being on the move. With Lynch and company not making a move, the 49ers will need to lean on one their free agent signings from the summer – Leonard Floyd.

The veteran pass rusher has had a quiet start to his campaign with the 49ers, recording 24 tackles and three sacks in eight games. Yet, over his last four games, Floyd has notched two of those sacks. If he continues that pace for the second half of the season, Floyd could check many boxes on the 49ers’ defensive front.

Coming off the bye week, the 49ers will enter the post-trade deadline run on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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