SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Even after a strong 2023 campaign and a training camp in which he was consistently one of the best players on the field, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir was in no rush to sign a big-money contract extension until he could solidify himself as one of the league's best at his position.
As it turned out, it took only nine more games for that to happen, as Lenoir and the 49ers reached agreement on a five-year, $92 million contract extension, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Tuesday.
The deal comes in the midst of a season when Lenoir has emerged as one of the Niners' best -- and most versatile -- young players, even on a roster with plenty of star power. Through those nine contests, Lenoir has 53 tackles, a forced fumble and two interceptions. He has allowed a passer rating of just 66.5 when targeted as the nearest defender, according to Next Gen Stats.
Lenoir also recovered a blocked field goal and raced 61 yards for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5.
He has done all of that despite bouncing between outside corner and playing in the slot when the Niners go into nickel packages. It's a double duty he began taking on toward the end of the 2022 season before fully embracing last season, when he played 570 snaps at outside corner and 311 in the slot, allowing a minus-4.7 EPA (expected points added), 80.1 passer rating and just one touchdown when targeted.
Despite starting this season on the final year of his rookie contract and the Niners' desire to sign him, Lenoir told ESPN in August he wasn't in a hurry to sign an extension because he was "at the point where I'm trying to be one of the top guys in the NFL as far as the corner position, the nickel position, just somewhere in the top where a lot of people starting to recognize me and remember my name."
When asked about the possibility of signing an extension before he would hit free agency, Lenoir didn't dismiss the idea but made it clear he wanted to prove he deserved to be paid among the top corners in the league.
Lenoir's new deal averages $18.4 million per season, which places him 12th among cornerbacks and represents a significant pay raise for the 2021 fifth-round pick out of Oregon. He is making $3.116 million in base salary this season with a cap charge of $3,187,217.
While the timing of Lenoir's deal might be a surprise, there have been signs pointing toward the 49ers hoping to get something done before the offseason so they can clear the decks for a forthcoming payday for quarterback Brock Purdy.
Coach Kyle Shanahan even seemed to hint at the end of October that something might be brewing.
"He is exactly what you want a 49er to play like," Shanahan said then of Lenoir. "He started out really well, made a couple mistakes early on as a rookie and lost his confidence just a little bit, I thought, his rookie year. Then that second season, the way he came back in the offseason, kind of just possessed to get that job back, and he's kind of owned it ever since. He's been a stud for a while to me, and he gets better each year. He's having a hell of a year."
Lenoir is the latest in a line of homegrown middle- to late-round draft picks to ink lucrative contracts to stay in San Francisco, including linebacker Fred Warner (third round) and tight end George Kittle and linebacker Dre Greenlaw (fifth-rounders), with Purdy presumably next up.
With Lenoir in the fold, the Niners still have plenty of other big-name players set to be unrestricted free agents in the offseason. It's a list that includes fellow starting cornerback Charvarius Ward, safety Talanoa Hufanga, guard Aaron Banks and Greenlaw.
But the Niners made it clear Tuesday that keeping Lenoir was a top priority.