The San Francisco 49ers have made it clear how they feel about Laken Tomlinson.
The team on Friday inked their starting left guard to a three-year extension, a source told NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. The deal is worth up to $18 million and comes packed with $10 million in guarantees, according to the source.
The team later confirmed the three-year pact, with general manager John Lynch saying in a statement: "Laken is a very talented player who has improved consistently since joining the team one week before last year's season opener. This offseason, his hard work and dedication paid off as he continued to progress and performed at a high level. We were confident we could work out a contract extension with Laken and we are fired up to get that done before training camp."
A 2015 first-round pick by the Lions, Tomlinson was acquired by the Niners last offseason in exchange for a 2019 fifth-round pick.
The 6-foot-3, 312-pounder struggled in Detroit, but fared adequately last season in San Francisco, starting 15 games and grading out as the 38th-ranked player at his position, per Pro Football Focus.
A better run-blocker than a pass-protector, Tomlinson is part of a Niners offensive line that includes veteran bookend Joe Staley, 2016 first-round guard Josh Garnett and 2018 first-round right tackle Mike McGlinchey.
The unit's primary responsibility is to keep prized starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo out of harm's way. If they accomplish that from wire-to-wire, the Niners remain a juicy pick to press for a playoff spot this autumn-into-winter.
