The 49ers have locked up one of their top defensive players for six more seasons.
Shortly after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the 49ers and linebacker NaVorro Bowman were close to completing a contract extension that will keep Bowman in San Francisco through the 2018 season, the 49ers officially announced that the deal is done.
The 49ers used an Instagram picture to formally announce the signing.
A new deal with Bowman, combined with Patrick Willis’s existing contract, means the 49ers will have both of their starting inside linebackers in place through at least 2016. Bowman, whom the 49ers selected in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft, has started every game in each of the last two seasons.
UPDATE 4:05 p.m. ET: NFL Network’s Albert Breer reports that Bowman’s new deal is worth $45.25 million in new money over five years, $25.5 million guaranteed.