Tag: deommodore lenoir contract

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.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Deommodore Lenoir contract may signal philosophy shift for 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are building their defense a little differently than they have in the past.

The San Francisco 49ers may be changing the way they build their roster on the defensive side of the football.

They agreed to a five-year, $92 million contract extension with cornerback Deommodore Lenoir which was first reported Tuesday afternoon. It looked going into the season like the team’s various financial commitments may force them to let Lenoir walk in free agency. Veteran Charvarius Ward is playing the best football of his career and is also due to hit the free agent market following the 2024 campaign.

It wouldn’t have been a surprise had the 49ers opted to let Lenoir go. They’ve not prioritized the secondary during the John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan era, preferring instead to focus their resources on building out a strong pass rush.

Their defensive fronts have been disappointing the last couple of years, and in 2023 they were forced to make two mid-season trades to find pass rush help. Instead, their secondary shined during their run to the Super Bowl where they met a Kansas City Chiefs defense that was loaded with high-quality defensive backs.

It may be that the 49ers are undergoing a philosophical change on defense where they’re investing more in the secondary and perhaps trying to build out a deeper defensive front that has effective players alongside superstar defensive end Nick Bosa.

Replacing players like Dee Ford, DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead hasn’t been easy, and finding players of that caliber like they did in 2019 may not be something they’re capable of doing given their financial commitments and lack of high draft picks.

The Lenoir contract isn’t the only signal of a potential shift. The team also spent a second-round pick on Florida State CB Renardo Green in this year’s draft. It’s the earliest they’ve ever drafted a cornerback in the Lynch-Shanahan era, and Green has been terrific stepping into the nickel CB role as a rookie. While the 49ers added Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos and Jordan Elliott in free agency, none of those players broke the bank. Even Maliek Collins was acquired with a seventh-round pick. The team prioritized depth on the defensive front while investing significant resources in the secondary in this year’s draft with Green and fourth-round pick Malik Mustapha. They also traded up for safety Ji’Ayir Brown in the third round of the 2023 draft where they didn’t pick until Round 3.

Perhaps this is just a function of the available talent and the 49ers will go back to their defensive line-first philosophy down the road, but for now the front-to-back defense we’ve come to know in San Francisco may become a back-to-front defense where the secondary is the star.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]