San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir was one of the biggest pending free agents of the season. He is now one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league.
Lenoir agreed to a five-year, $92 million contract extension with the Niners on Tuesday. according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
With a rookie contract expiring at the end of this season, Lenoir became one of 12 NFL cornerbacks to earn a salary in excess of $15 million, per on the cover. However, most of those players are a little different from Lenoir, as he primarily works as a slot cornerback.
The Niners moved Lenoir to the position last season and he became an instant star. It was an unlikely story given that Lenoir had no experience at the position and is one of the heaviest cornerbacks in the NFL at 200 pounds, but he stood out with 84 combined tackles, 10 passes defended and three interceptions.
He also made use of that size in the middle of the defense.
Pro Football Focus ranked Lenoir as the 23rd best cornerback in the NFL last season and 41st this season.
It’s a nice payday for a former fifth-round pick out of Oregon, who earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors. Lenoir becomes the latest paid star on one of the NFL’s most talented rosters, although the Niners have battled injuries this season and are a half-game behind the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West with a record of 5-4.