It was clear when the San Francisco 49ers signed cornerback Deommodore Lenoir to a five-year, $88,884,000 extension that they were getting the 2021 fifth-round pick at a nice price.
A ranking of the top 100 players in the NFL by Pro Football and Sports Network indicates the 49ers may be getting one of the best bargains in the NFL.
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According to PFSN, Lenoir comes in as the No. 61 player in the NFL. That alone would make Lenoir worth his deal that averages out to $17.8 million per year. However, one spot behind him in the ranking at No. 61 is New York Jets CB Sauce Gardner.
Gardner recently agreed to a massive four-year, $120.4 million extension that made him the NFL’s highest-paid CB. He’ll make, on average, $12.3 million more per year than Lenoir.
While Lenoir is a talented player and in line to be the 49ers’ No. 1 CB this season, it’s a stretch to put him above Gardner. According to PFSN, he allowed a completion rate of 53.2 percent on just 47 targets last season. He’s also been a First-Team All-Pro in two of his three seasons. Lenoir gave up a 65.2 percent completion rate on 89 targets. However, he allowed a passer rating of 71.4 compared to a 79.3 passer rating allowed by Gardner.
Whether Gardner is “better” than Lenoir isn’t necessarily the argument. If we concede that he is, the fact remains he’s not $12 million better than Lenoir on an annual basis. Lenoir is the 18th-highest paid CB in the NFL by average annual value. That’s a bargain whether he fits ahead of or behind Gardner in a ranking.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Top 100 rankings show Deommodore Lenoir contract a bargain for 49ers