. Under the 49ers' previous regime, older players who had been part of the 49ers' recent glory days were king.
NaVorro Bowman was drafted by former general manager Trent Baalke and received not one, but two, contract extensions under Baalke's leadership, the second of which coming last year when he still had three years remaining on his previous deal.
Bowman held sway. He was the only star player on the team at the time, the only throwback to the team's recent defensive dominance and the biggest voice in the locker room. He was the type of player whose agent, Drew Rosenhaus, can get a team to agree to a new deal when there's no impetus to get one done.