On Friday, the San Francisco 49ers inked left guard Laken Tomilson to a three year $18 million deal. The new deal includes $10 million in guarantees. Earlier this offseason general manager John Lynch declined Tomlison’s fifth-year option. This pointed to the idea that the front office was expecting to get a long-term deal done. This proves that Tomlinson is in fact here for the long haul and a big part of San Francisco’s plans going forward.
“Laken is a very talented player who has improved consistently since joining the team one week before last year’s season opener,” said 49ers General Manager John Lynch. “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.”
Laken was originally a first-round pick by the Detroit Lions in 2015. He was acquired by the 49ers last year in exchange for a 2019 5th round pick.
During his first two years with Detroit Tomilson struggled greatly. This past season, however, he seemed to find his rhythm, starting 15 games for the team. Retaining Tomilson gives the team more stability at offensive line. He is part of a unit that has Joe Staley at left tackle, Weston Richburg at center, Josh Garnett at right guard, and newly acquired right tackle Mike McGlinchey.
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Going into training camp, Tomilson, Richburg, Staley, and McGlinchey all look to be entrenched in their respective positions. This means that the battle for the right guard is open.
With the majority of the offensive line set, it allows the team to focus on other needs going into training camp. It also will allow the offensive line to get into a groove together and learn to work together efficiently. Training camp starts July 25th for all rookies and veterans.