The San Francisco 49ers have put together one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Three of their five starters where first round draft picks. It all started in 2007 when the 49ers used the 28th overall pick to select Joe Staley out of Central Michigan. He has been a stalwart on the line ever since. On Thursday, the 49ers gave Staley a contract extension that is set to keep him a 49ers through the 2019 season.
Staley started the day by attending a ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the 49ers’ new home, Levi Stadium. The deal was signed after the ceremony but Staley knew that he had a deal waiting for him after taking part in the festivities.
He spoke about how the deal came about on a conference call later that day. “It was just an ongoing thing with myself and the organization. It was not a situation of content, I signed my previous deal after my second year. I’m a different player now and the organization is a different organization. We both felt it was time to get something done. And what I’m most excited about is the opportunity to play my whole entire career as a San Francisco 49er.”
Although Staley is regarded as one of the best left tackles in the game, his extension may have raised a few eyebrows but it clearly makes a statement to Vernon Davis and especially Alex Boone, two players that are likely to holdout of training camp in hopes of having their deals redone. Staley stated that he is well aware of the contract situations for Boone and Davis but declined to compare them to his. He made sure to state that “every single situation is different and every single contract negotiation is different.”
Staley was sure to vouch for Boone, a guy that he has lined up with for the last couple of years. “Alex Boone is someone I have the utmost respect for and hope we can play our entire career together,” Staley said. “It’s his situation, and whatever he wants to get done, I have confidence he and the Niners will work it out.”
One thing that is similar in the Boone, Davis and Staley situations is that each of the players feel that they are a better player than they were when they initially signed their deals. Staley elaborated on this when he said; “I signed my previous deal after my second year. I’m a different player now and the organization is a different organization.”
The 49ers have set Staley as the cornerstone of their offensive line. His skill set is one that the NFL covets in their tackles. Bucky Brooks is a former NFL scout and current analyst for NFL.com. He recently listed Staley as the fourth best “blind side protector” in the NFL. Here is what he had to say about Staley:
“The 49ers standout is the prototypical left tackle that NFL scouts covet in today’s game. Size, strength, athleticism, agility — Staley has it all. Also, he is a consistent technician with footwork and fundamentals that will allow him to maintain effectiveness when his athleticism begins to wane later in his career. Given his consistency and overall skill set, Staley should remain in contention for the top spot on this list for the next few years.”
49ers general manager Trent Baalke called Staley a “core member of our football team.” Baalke continued by saying; “His commitment and professionalism have been great assets to our team and our community. This extension reflects our philosophy of investing in our core players.”
This move is one that will likely allow Staley to play his whole career with one team, the 49ers. That is something that he set as a goal when he was a rookie. When he entered the NFL, his goal was to make an NFL roster, become a starter, win a Super Bowl and play his entire career with one team. Baalke echoed those sentiments when he spoke about how “in today’s NFL, it is rare for a player to play his entire career with one team.” Baalke revealed that the extension will likely make Staley a 49er for life.
A part of that future will be to protect newly signed quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Staley was one of the veteran players that adopted Kaepernick as the new quarterback back in 2011 when Alex Smith was relegated to a backup role. He said that he has really taken a liking to Kaepernick’s work ethic and says that he takes pride in the opportunity to protect Kaepernick’s blind side for years to come.
The time is now for the 49ers to win another Super Bowl championship. Staley is well aware of that and said that it will be the mindset when the team reports to training camp next week.
“There’s definitely urgency, we know that. The quality of players we have, the quality of coaches we have, we’re all very familiar with each other. There’s no ‘figuring it out.’ There’s no ‘we’ll see.’ We all know that we are a very talented football team and that we have very high expectations. And we set the expectations the highest and that’s the Super Bowl. We’ve said that in the year’s past and the same exact mindset of what’s coming in. We have to closeout those games this year. We have to find a way to win those close games and find a way to close it out. So, I think that’s something that we’re definitely going to be focusing on in training camp and just work with an extra sense of urgency. That’s probably the main focus at training camp.”
The future is still very bright for Staley and the 49ers. They have a brand new stadium, great practice facilities and a bevy of talent on both sides of the ball. The goal is clear, bring a sixth Super Bowl title to the 49er faithful.
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