Earlier this morning, 49ers CEO Jed York tweeted out a contest to name the next 49ers All-Pro to receive a contract extension. It looks like we have an answer.
Confirmed that 49ers agree to contract extension with P Andy Lee. No details, but expect it to be in $4M annual range.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoCSN) May 23, 2012
Andy Lee has been on the 49ers contract extension radar for some time now. He was entering the final season of a six year contract he signed in 2007. He was a restricted free agent at the time and received an offer sheet from the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 49ers matched the deal, which paid Lee $7.1 million over the length of the deal.
If the $4M range proves to be accurate, it would approximately match that of fellow All-Pro punter Shane Lechler. Lee was first team this year, while Lechler was second team. Lechler and Lee have bounced around the first- and second-team All Pro lists for several years now and have proven how important an effective punter can be for a team. The 49ers coverage units deserve a ton of credit, but when you've got a punter regularly dropping punts inside the five, it's safe to say you've found a heck of a weapon.
We'll get more on the contract as details come available.