San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York surprised fans in attendance at the State of the Franchise event on Wednesday night by announcing the team signed veteran tackle Joe Staley to a two-year extension. That means the Niner Faithful can expect to see the reliable anchor of the offensive line until 2021.
The contract was actually signed after Monday's team practice, but the 49ers kept the deal under wraps until Wednesday. Staley admitted to reporters backstage that he got uncharacteristically emotional after putting pen to paper.
"I was like, 'Yeah!'" said Staley. "And then I started talking, and I was like, 'Uh, why am I crying?'"
It was proof of how much being part of the 49ers organization means to Staley. San Francisco is the team that made him the No. 28 overall pick in 2007 and the only NFL home he has known.
"This is something I take pride in, to have the opportunity to play for one franchise for my entire career," Staley added.
Staley joined KNBR after Thursday's practice, the final one of organized team activities, and discussed why the two-year extension is so special to him.
"I was telling some media people yesterday, I didn't want to completely close the door, but that's going to be the last contract I sign, probably, in the NFL, if I were to guess," Staley said on the "Fitz and Brooks" show. "I think 15 years is going to be a long time. I'll be in the NFL for a long career, so I feel like this is going to be the last one.
"[Having] played with one franchise my whole career is something special to me. It's what I set out to do when I was a rookie back in 2007. It's part of my identity, the San Francisco 49ers organization, the people here, the fabric of me. It's what motivates me to get out every single day on the field and keep working to try to bring a championship back to the Bay Area.
"It struck a chord with me and got a little emotional with Kyle (Shanahan) and John (Lynch) after we completed the deal, just kind of realizing a goal that I had set out to accomplish when I was young."
Staley is entering his 13th NFL season and started all 16 games for the 49ers in 2018.
You can listen to the entire interview with Staley below.