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Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner is the first San Francisco 49ers player to reach double-digit sacks in a single season since linebacker Aldon Smith had 19.5 in 2012. Buckner's 11 sacks, including two against Seattle Seahawks quarterback
Russell Wilson on Sunday, are a career-high.
Two of Buckner's three multi-sack performances have come against Wilson. He also had 2.5 sacks in the 49ers' regular-season opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
Buckner, a rising NFL star, was the 49ers' most noticeable Pro Bowl snub. Fullback
Kyle Juszczyk and tight end
George Kittle will represent San Francisco in Orlando, Florida next month. Buckner's name appeared as an alternate.
"The organization, coaches, and everybody knows my ability," Buckner told reporters on Thursday
via Bay Area News Group. "The recognition would be cool, but it's out of my hands.
"They've got me as an alternate so at least they know my name. Now I've got to get them to remember it."
The interior defensive linemen representing the NFC in the Pro Bowl are Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams, Fletcher Cox of the Philadelphia Eagles, and Akiem Hicks of the Chicago Bears.
Donald has 16.5 sacks this season. That one is understandable, but fans will argue that neither Cox (7.5) nor Hicks (6) has more than Buckner. Of course, none of those players are on a team with a losing record.
Juszczyk, who is headed to his third consecutive Pro Bowl, was shocked to see Buckner's name left off the NFC roster but understands that perception plays a big part in the selection process.
"There's a lot of guys out there that I think deserve it,"
Juszczyk said earlier this week, "but it's tough when you're 4-10. You don't always get the most exposure. It's kind of hard to validate tons of Pro Bowl picks when you have that record."
Buckner is in the third year of his four-year rookie contract. He's a player the 49ers would love to lock up for the foreseeable future, a move that will cost the financially-comfortable team a lot.
"We'll look into all of that stuff,"
head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday. "I haven't thought about any of that now, but I know DeFo is someone we want to be a Niner for a long time. So, however the best way is to get that done."
Shanahan may not have thought about it yet, but Buckner's agent, Joel Segal, has. He plans to begin discussing a contract extension with the 49ers brass.
"I talked to my agent in the past couple weeks," Buckner said. "He's going to come out in the offseason, and we're going to talk a little more."
The 49ers made Buckner the No. 7 overall draft pick out of Oregon in 2016. He now has 20 career sacks in his three NFL seasons and has racked up 60 combined tackles and two passes defensed to go along with his 11 sacks this year.
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, it's common for the rumor mill to start churning, especially with players who are actively seeking a new contract. It was just two short years ago that WR Deebo Samuel requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers prior to draft day, only for cooler heads to prevail and eventually agree to a new deal.
Now, it's WR Brandon Aiyuk's turn to try and get paid and rumors surfaced over the weekend that he too would request to be dealt. While that report was quickly shot down by his agent, there's still a lot of discussion about Aiyuk's future and if other teams will come calling on draft night.
Legendary columnist Mike Silver joined
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will be present today as the team reports for the start of its offseason program. Purdy was a little early, as he hosted a youth football camp over the weekend.
Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group spoke to the 49ers quarterback during the event and asked him about one of his teammates, Brandon Aiyuk. The star wide receiver is currently in contract extension negotiations with the 49ers, and the team has emphasized keeping him around for the foreseeable future as an offseason priority.
Purdy has
Jeff Garcia has been impressed by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy in his two seasons with the team. As the last overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy was thrust into the spotlight after the 49ers faced quarterback injuries and proved his NFL mettle.
While some doubts lingered after his rookie season, Purdy's resilience shone through. Despite starting only five regular-season games, he guided the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game, where, unfortunately, he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his throwing arm. Garcia was among those who wondered whether Purdy could maintain his success into his second season.
Last year, coming off surgery, Purdy set a single-season franchise record with 4,280 passing yards. His impressive performance
Last week, it was reported that the San Francisco 49ers planned to host former Kentucky cornerback Andru Phillips on a pre-draft visit. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo confirms that the visit will take place during the upcoming week, which marks the final opportunity for such visits to occur.
Phillips will also meet with the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans this week.
Adding a noteworthy tidbit to the social media post, Garafolo mentions, "A likely second-round pick, though some evaluators have first-round grades on
