SANTA CLARA – Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir remembers his rookie season with the San Franciso 49ers in 2021 when he had to share a locker with a rotating cast of players who, for a variety of reasons, didn’t last long with the team.
Four years later, Lenoir has officially become one of the 49ers’ leaders, as he was selected as one of the team’s eight captains for the 2025 season, joining Trent Williams, Fred Warner, George Kittle, Brock Purdy, Nick Bosa, Christian McCaffrey, and Kyle Juszczuk.
As part of the leadership group, Lenoir, who turns 26 in October, replaces veteran receiver Deebo Samuel, who spent six years with the 49ers before being traded to the Washington Commanders in May.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” Lenoir said Wednesday. “This is something I dreamed of when I was a kid. I never thought it would come so fast, but we’re here, and I’m blessed to be here, blessed to be a captain. I’m happy my teammates view me that way.”
Perhaps in the spirit of that new leadership role, Lenoir took a more measured tone — at least compared to earlier this year — against his opponents in Sunday’s season-opener, the Seattle Seahawks.
Reacting on social media in March to receiver D.K. Metcalf’s request for a trade out of Seattle, while simultaneously taking a shot at Seahawks leading receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Lenoir said, “Y’all cannot let DK (Metcalf) leave. … How am I going to have fun out there? Njigba, he be crying all day. That’s all he do is cry.
“Not worried about JSN. He knows that.”
Metcalf and Lenoir had a spirited rivalry as NFC West foes, highlighted by a skirmish during a December 2023 game when they were both ejected in what became a 28-16 win for the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.
In 12 career games against the 49ers, Metcalf, a two-time Pro Bowl selection who was dealt to the Steelers in March, had 62 catches for 750 yards and five touchdowns.
“Every time we played them, the first play, he always came at me, so I knew what type of game it was going to be,” Lenoir said of Metcalf. “So I’m hoping like that happens (Sunday), like they try to come at me, try to (be) aggressive. But that was just kind of what I expected when (Metcalf) played, because I knew he was going to do that all the time, like that was just his thing.
“But this week, we’re going to feel it out, you know, see how they come.”
Smith-Njigba, who was tied for ninth in the NFL last season with 100 receptions, is entering his third year in the league. The Seahawks’ passing game also features new quarterback Sam Darnold and free agent addition Cooper Kupp.
Smith-Njigba has 21 catches for 229 yards in four career games against the Niners. Kupp had 7,776 yards receiving and 57 touchdowns in eight years with the Los Angeles Rams, as he was named Super Bowl LVI’s MVP.
“Without my fellow friend, D.K., they’re a good group of receivers, with the addition of Kupp and JSN over there, they got some confidence,” Lenoir said, “and I feel like Sunday is going to be a very fun game.”
Lenior later added, “Literally, this whole offseason has been about Seattle. So, I’ve got to back it up. I’m ready.”
That’s what leaders say.
As a rookie, Lenoir played in 13 games, starting in two, and recorded 17 tackles. Now, Lenoir is one of the most experienced players in the team’s secondary, following the departures of veterans Isaac Yiadom and Rock Ya-Sin, who both left via free agency to sign with the Saints and Lions, respectively.
“The whole process of me being here five years has just been going fast,” Lenoir said. “I feel like I was just walking in on the other side of the locker room. I didn’t have my own locker yet. I had to share. So just being able to be here now and come so far, it’s a great feeling.”
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Perhaps being named a captain was the next logical step for Lenoir, who is in the second year of a five-year contract that made him the 49ers’ highest-paid defensive back. Last season, Lenoir was second on the team and set a new career-high with 85 tackles in 15 games, and he and Fred Warner, who led San Francisco with 131 tackles, both had a team-high two interceptions.
In May, Lenoir won the Dwight Clark Award, which honors the current 49ers player who best exemplifies the late wide receiver’s “spirit of teamwork and camaraderie.” In June, Lenoir was arrested and charged with resisting arrest, a misdemeanor, during a traffic stop in Los Angeles. Lenoir apologized in July for the incident, saying, “I’m different than who I was five (weeks) ago. Just being at the right place, not really hanging out in areas that I shouldn’t be.”
“Happy for him, excited for him,” Warner said of Lenoir’s new title. “He earned it fully. Obviously, it shows how much his teammates respect him and are ready for him to lead the way.”
As of Wednesday, Lenoir and Renardo Green were the starting cornerbacks, with Upton Stout as the nickelback, Jason Pinnock as the free safety, and Ji’Ayir Brown as the strong safety. However, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan would not confirm who his starting safeties would be for Sunday’s season opener in Seattle.