FOOCH'S UPDATE 3:50: According to ESPN, the deal is for $42 million, with $18 million of it guaranteed. I'm not sure on it, but given that the contract doesn't start until after his current deal is done, it's possible that's all bonus money. Not sure if he's able to turn part of his current deal into guaranteed money with the new contract. Either way, Staley is getting P-A-I-D!
FOOCH'S NOTE 2:30PM: I've added the transcript from Staley's conference call at the end after the jump.
Thanks to supraman for getting the initial FanShot up about this. I received a press release and thought I'd roll out some of the info and quotes from the release. In his FanShot, Supraman called it a questionable move by McCloughan, but I'd have to strongly disagree with that opinion.
Joe Staley has signed a six year contract extension on top of his rookie contract that will keep him with the 49ers through the 2017 season. McCloughan put it best:
"Joe Staley is the type of player we want to continue to add to this football team," said general manager Scot McCloughan. "He’s a tough, versatile, no-nonsense type of guy who wants to do whatever it takes to help his team win football games. Joe is a consummate team player and has been completely unselfish in the way he has approached his role on this team. We know what he means to the success of the 49ers and getting this extension done puts us in a very nice position for the future."
When you've got a lot of cap space left over, it is eminently wise to use it locking up your young talent. I'd certainly hope Patrick Willis is next in line for an extension.
After the jump, I've thrown in some notes on Staley from the press release.
Staley (6-5, 315) has been a mainstay on the 49ers offensive line since being selected as the second of San Francisco’s two first-round draft picks with the 28th overall selection, in 2007. Since joining the team that year, he has started every contest at either right or left tackle without missing a single offensive snap.
A product of Central Michigan, Staley made an immediate impact for San Francisco as he became the first 49ers offensive lineman to start every game as rookie since Cas Banaszek started 14 contests in 1968. He went on to line up for every single snap that year, becoming one of three NFL rookies (49ers Patrick Willis and Browns Joe Thomas) to accomplish the feat. In 2008, Staley continued to exhibit his tremendous versatility and durability by making the transition from the right side of the offensive line to the left tackle position. He went on to start all 16 games and was the only 49ers player to line for every single snap.
A native of Rockford, MI, Staley became the first player from Central Michigan to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. He converted to the tackle position in college after playing his freshman year at tight end.
JOE STALEY CONFERENCE CALL
On when the extension developed:
"The whole offseason really. They came at me pretty early in the offseason. We’ve kind of been working back and forth and I really want to stay here. I believe in what we have going here with the coaching staff and the whole franchise and I think it’s very important if you are going to build a winning franchise to keep people around here for an extended period of time so you can get used to them. That’s how you win games. So I’m excited to get this deal done, and now we can move forward and hopefully get some other guys signed here and move forward."
Oh whether he thinks there are other extensions in the works for other players, most notably, Patrick Willis:
"If you go two Pro Bowls in your first two years, I would think the club is doing everything to sign him, but I don’t know. I can’t speak on anything that’s going on except what’s happening with me."
On if he wanted some assurance that the team would make a commitment to the other building blocks on the team:
"Yeah, I think that’s what they are doing. I believe that the front office understands that’s how you build championships and I think ownership obviously understands that by signing me pretty early and it was something that I believed in. Like I said, I played my whole career here and I’ve been very fortunate to do so. Now we can start moving forward."
On whether he needed a contract to show how much the franchise appreciated him:
"No, I never went looking for a contract. They came to me and I wasn’t even expecting anything. I was thinking maybe if I played a solid year next year, they’d come to me, but they’ve obviously shown that they believe in me enough to get this deal done. I think that also shows what they are trying to do here is keep a lot of the core young players that they feel are building blocks for this franchise around in getting them early."
On whether the 49ers told him he was going to be the 49ers left tackle from now on:
"I’ve had meetings with coaches and whatnot, and the indication is that I’m the left tackle here and that’s what I plan on being. They can do what they want as far as roster moves and everything, but that’s my position. That’s the way I look at it. That’s my position. Everybody else can compete for other spots on the line."
On whether he has talked to other teammates who have been extended and whether they have a similar mindset on the how to build a team:
"I think if you look at any player, they want to play with people that they’re comfortable with. As far as the offensive line goes, I can speak for myself and the offensive line. Like I said to you the other day, that’s why you build continuity on the offensive line and you feel comfortable. If you look at the Giants offensive line, they’ve all been playing together for five years. That’s why they’re considered one of the better offensive lines in the NFL. I think the way you build a franchise is through your young players and extend them here for a long time and don’t do the plug-and-play system."
On whether this offseason has been different from others:
"This offseason has been great. I know everybody is very, very excited. The programming we’ve done this offseason, I’m not 100 percent sure what was different about it, but everybody is feeling – as far as the offensive line goes – that’s usually who I’m in contact with on a daily basis, everybody is putting up PRs in the weight room. We’re all feeling very, very good in our conditioning. I can speak for myself: my numbers in the weight room are the highest they’ve ever been in my whole career. I’m feeling very strong, very fresh. The energy that the coaching staff that we have right now brings, and the direction everybody feels like we’re going, our mindset right now is very focused, and we’re very driven to get where we want to go."