With Albert Haynesworth and Corey Williams both franchised by their teams, young nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga was set to make a lot of money in free agency. At just 26 and and a 325-pound truck up the middle (with decent speed, to boot), teams would have justifiably been all over the big guy, even if the interest was based on supply/demand and potential instead of his production thus far.But alas, the whole thing is moot. The 49ers re-inked Sopoaga to a five-year extension, keeping him in San Francisco before the feeding frenzy begins in a couple of days. The deal, according to the excellent Matt Maiocco, is supposed to be comparable with Jay Ratliff's deal with the Cowboys, which went for $20.5 million over five years and $8 million guaranteed.
That's a good amount less than what I think Sopoaga could have found on the market, but his agent says he took a potential discount because he doesn't like change (I hear ya) and is comfortable in San Francisco. Those guys are rare. And even though Sopoaga isn't the starting nose tackle, he's a valuable -- and potentially unstoppable -- piece for this defense. Keeping him away from everyone else was important in and of itself; getting a bargain like the one the 49ers got is just icing.
