5 players the 49ers would love to extend after Brandon Aiyuk
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir
In a perfect world, the Niners would be able to afford re-signing (or extending) both of their top cornerbacks, Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir. Both have been exceptional over the last two seasons and played a vital role in San Francisco's secondary being one of the top-tier groups in 2023.
Both are pending free agents after this season, too.
Re-signing Ward might be too difficult, though, especially after he notched a career-best five interceptions and NFL-best 23 passes broken up last year amid his first Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro campaign. If he merely plays remotely close to that level in 2024, Ward will price himself out of the 49ers' comfort range.
Nickel cornerbacks are much cheaper, though, meaning Lenoir won't command anything close to the kind of contract Ward will likely get on the open market.
Younger and cheaper, the 49ers would be wise to lock in Lenoir on a new contract to ensure at least a part of their defensive backfield maintains some continuity in 2025 and beyond.