Arik Armstead is thankful to have been with the 49ers his entire NFL career. He has one important milestone in his sights.
Selected with the No. 17 pick in the 2015 draft, Armstead officially is San Francisco's longest-tenured player after veteran safety Jimmie Ward signed with the Houston Texans in free agency.
In speaking with reporters Wednesday at 49ers training camp, Armstead was asked what it meant to be the longest-tenured player after nine seasons.
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"Sometimes I feel like it flew by, sometimes looking back at when I first started that feels like a long time ago," Armstead said. "A lot has changed since I've been here, but it's been amazing. Super blessed to be here my entire career and not have to get to know another place and be at a top-class organization that I have been in this long. A lot of people thought I wouldn't be here this long, but I'm here."
If Armstead remains with the team for the start of the 2024 season, he will join the exclusive 49ers 10-Year Club and receive a plaque commemorating his tenure with the organization.
"That would be awesome, being in one place for 10 years is hard to do and not a lot of people do it for a number of reasons," Armstead said of honor. "You have to be good obviously and things have to work out from a football standpoint and a whole bunch of other scenarios. If I was able to achieve that, that would definitely be a good thing that a lot of guys aren't able to do."
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Armstead has been one of the 49ers' best players for years and is a staple of San Francisco's ferocious defensive line. The 29-year-old has embraced moves between defensive end and tackle over the course of his career, showing his willingness to do whatever the team asks of him.
Another good season in 2023, and Armstead will further cement his legacy and should soon become the 46th member of the 10-Year Club.