DeForest Buckner's agent, Joel Segal, has already had some discussions with his client about his NFL future. He plans to start discussing a potential contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers brass this offseason.
"I talked to my agent in the past couple weeks," Buckner told reporters after Thursday's practice. "He's going to come out in the offseason, and we're going to talk a little more."
Buckner has racked up a career-high 11 sacks, 60 combined tackles, and two passes defensed in his third NFL season. On Sunday, he became the first 49ers player to reach double-digit sack numbers in a single season since Aldon Smith had 19.5 in 2012.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan remains focused on the team's remaining two games but knows negotiations surrounding Buckner's future with the team are on the horizon. The 49ers can also pick up his fifth-year option after this season to buy some time, but a long-term extension would be ideal given what Buckner brings to the defense.
"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," Shanahan told reporters on Monday.
General manager John Lynch joined KNBR on Friday morning and shared his desire to keep Buckner in a 49ers uniform for the foreseeable future.
"We want DeForest to be a Niner for a long, long time," Lynch said on the "Murph & Mac" show. "He's an excellent football player. He's an excellent human being. He's an excellent leader."
The 49ers made Buckner the No. 7 overall draft pick out of Oregon in 2016. He now has 20 career sacks, 194 combined tackles, eight passes defensed, and a forced fumble through his three NFL seasons.
"I think the cool thing with DeFo, we've seen him play at a high level for a long, long time," Lynch continued. "I think there's moments in someone's career. What I saw the other day was a guy put a team on his back. I think DeFo had enough of Seattle coming in here and up there, and having their way with the Niners. You saw a player who was not going to be denied the other day. He has that type of ability. You don't let those guys get out of your building.
"We're going to do everything we can to ensure that DeFo is a Niner for a long, long time. I'm sure it won't be cheap, but those are all things you have to figure out. I can tell you that the motivation in this building is to keep him around here for a long, long time."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.