SANTA CLARA -- All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner is in a similar position now with the 49ers as tight end George Kittle was a year ago.
Draft picks are eligible for new contracts after playing three seasons, so Warner is eligible for a lucrative, long-term extension.
Kittle outplayed his contract in his first three seasons and was rewarded with a five-year, $75 million contract that made him the highest-paid tight end in the league.
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Warner is scheduled to enter the final year of his original contract. Due to the NFL’s proven performance escalator, his salary is scheduled for $3.384 million, which is still far below his market value.
“I want to get it done, personally,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said on Tuesday. “I kind of feel like I'd say the same about him as I did about Kittle when we were talking about it. I just see that kind of as a matter of time.
“I know he's not going into his free agent year or anything like that, so that's why it's not always on my mind. But Fred's a guy that I plan on being here forever and who has earned that. I'd be surprised if that doesn't start sooner than later.”
Warner, like Kittle a year ago, is currently a full-participant in the 49ers’ offseason program.
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The big deadline for a deal getting done is when the pads go on during training camp in early-August. That is when the player begins to take on some physical risk and will want financial security.
Kittle signed his contract extension with the 49ers last summer just prior to the club putting on pads for practices.
A similar time frame is expected to follow for Warner.