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Deommodore Lenoir is sticking with the San Francisco 49ers for the long haul.
The cornerback inked a five-year, $92 million contract extension with the Niners on Tuesday, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Lenoir was in the final season of his rookie deal and was set to become a free agent this offseason before the deal.
Lenoir, a former fifth-round draft pick in 2021, has exceeded expectations through the first few seasons of his career. Last year, he had 84 tackles, three interceptions and 10 passes defended, all career highs.
So far this season, Lenoir has racked up 53 tackles, two interceptions and six passes defended. He’s tied with Fred Warner for the most passes defended and interceptions and has the second-most tackles on the Niners.
Lenoir proved his ability to play in multiple areas on the field last season as San Francisco used him both in the slot and as an outside cornerback. Most of his snaps came on the outside, but it’s good for the Niners to have some versatility in case he needs to line up somewhere else.
Now having signed one of their top defenders to a long-term deal, the 49ers are hoping to bounce back from a rough start to the season to stay in the playoff hunt. San Francisco started the year 3-4 but has won back-to-back games to get over .500.
The Niners got a major boost last week as star running back Christian McCaffrey made his debut. While McCaffrey had just 39 rushing yards in the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s likely only a matter of time before he gets things going.
San Francisco will look to make it three wins in a row this week when it faces the Seattle Seahawks.
