San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir is a rising star. And this week, the 49ers treated him as such, rewarding Lenoir with a five-year, $92 million extension. The 2021 fifth-round selection will now be paid as one of the league's top cornerbacks, deservedly so. He's played like one of the best.
After starting only two games as a rookie, Lenoir became a starter in 2022 and has continued to get better each season. This year, Lenoir has two interceptions, six passes defended, and a forced fumble. He also had 53 tackles and has become known as a physical player who's not afraid to get involved in stopping the run.
On Friday, Head Coach Kyle Shanahan sat with NBC Sports Bay Area's Greg Papa to discuss Lenoir and the team. "He has the confidence to guard anybody," Shanahan told Papa. "I remember with Mooney [Charvarius Ward] being out, he's texting me all the way up to the Thursday game [week 6], asking if he can follow DK [Metcalf] around. Sending me videos of every time he's guarded him. He's just a guy who wants every challenge, who loves playing football."
Lenoir does not lack confidence, and he hasn't since he entered the league. Even as a rookie, when he posted a video on social media, of him shutting down a receiver at practice. The problem with putting the video out there for all to see is that the 49ers were in a part of the offseason program where they are not allowed to be as physical as Lenior was on the play. The 49ers were disciplined by the league for that play.
GM John Lynch was a guest on KNBR radio this week and said, "It's not real normal that we extend guys during the course of the year. We tried this in training camp. Really convicted on the player. You think about all he does for us. He plays the nickel position, where it gets tough and you're involved in run fits, and then he goes outside and really excels at the corner position, which is a hard position to play in this league. He's tough, physical, confident, and he's gotten better every year since he's been here. He really is what we want in our players, and what we covet in our players.
"I think the greatest testament to him is how happy the entire place was for him because he really earned this. Fifth-round pick. He went through tough times early on where I think there was some people in the organization who questioned, 'Is he going to pan out?', but young players go through struggles. We saw some great ability, and we hung with him, but more importantly, eventually, you couldn't not put him on the field, and he just keeps getting better. We're very fortunate to have him."
With Ward still out, Lenoir will be needed to lead the secondary against a good Seattle offense. In their last matchup, Metcalf had only three catches for 48 yards, despite being targeted 11 times.