San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle DeForest Buckner is entering the final year of his original rookie contract. The team exercised its fifth-year option on the budding 25-year-old defensive star in April, which means he will stay in the Bay Area until at least the 2020 season.
Who knows what the future holds for Buckner beyond 2020? He's not worried about that right now. Instead, Buckner is focusing on the upcoming season and letting his agent and the 49ers chief contract negotiator, Paraag Marathe, figure out his NFL future.
"Right now, I'm focused on playing ball and doing whatever I can do to help to contribute to getting a Super Bowl," Buckner recently said via NBC Sports Bay Area.
San Francisco could utilize the franchise tag in 2021, depending on what happens with the NFL's next Collective Bargaining Agreement. Team decision-makers, however, don't want it to come to that. They know how vital Buckner is to the future success of the franchise and would love to lock him up to a long-term deal.
"I would love nothing more than for DeFo to be here," general manager John Lynch said in April. "We've got a long time to work on that. He's very important to us, and he's another guy who's a big part of what we're doing. I just love everything about him, and the way he goes about his business. I think he's a special player, and we'd like to keep him here for a long time."
Veteran tackle Joe Staley signed a two-year extension on Monday. His picture already hangs on the 49ers' 10-year wall, and his new deal could have him finishing his career having played 15 seasons with the team that drafted him in 2007.
Buckner would love nothing more than to go down a similar road in his NFL career.
"I love this organization," Buckner said. "I'm very happy this organization chose me back in 2016. There's no other organization I'd rather be at and play for."
During Wednesday's State of the Franchise event, Buckner discussed the notebook he lent to new teammate Dee Ford so he could play catch up after missing some time to become a father. The first note in that notebook read, "I can't be blocked."
"That's my mindset going in every day for practice," Buckner said, "and that's how I approach every game. I want to be the best at my position."
The defensive tackle racked up a career-high 12 sacks last season and is excited about the pass rush upgrades, like Ford, the 49ers added this offseason. That will only help a player as talented as Buckner.
"It's going to be a race to the quarterback, for sure," an excited Buckner said Wednesday.
