If you were active on those inter-webs Monday, you might have come across a report from The Athletic’s John Middlekauff, who said that the San Francisco 49ers were negotiating hard with DeForest Buckner. Guy Haberman and Middlekauff discussed later that the deal was in the neighborhood of $60 million-plus, and Buckner turned it down, deciding to let it ride. Yep, sounds like he’s playing it smart and is looking for the cash, right?
Contrary to the report that DeForest Buckner turned down #49ers' offer last year of $60 million guaranteed, per John Middlekauff, Buckner says this report is absolutey false. pic.twitter.com/aIe17bUYfr
— Alex Tran (@NinerAlex) February 25, 2020
That would have been taken from Buckner’s Instagram account.
There hasn’t been much from Middlekauff in terms of a response, but Buckner is saying that this or at least a $60 million guaranteed contract, is false.
All of this isn’t exactly breaking news. There were already reports in 2019 that Buckner and the 49ers were far apart on a deal. What the money entailed was a mystery, but rumors were floating around. Buckner has answered every question the way a fan would like, saying he wants to stay and be with the 49ers. Unfortunately, he’s not the only player looking for an extension. Whatever money he is looking for, we’re about to find out.
Which is why the 49ers are going to need to get mighty creative with the extensions they have coming up. While George Kittle has one more year, I don’t think anyone wants to see him even getting so much as a sniff of free agency. Buckner will need an extension, and then Jimmie Ward, Arik Armstead, and Emmanuel Sanders will need deals too. The 49ers aren’t exactly in cap hell, but they don’t have the money to play with in years past. Either players will need to make sacrifices, or this roster is going to see some very talented players go elsewhere.
You can’t pay everyone. Maybe this bond the team has will have them making sacrifices to stick around.