Contract negotiations for defensive tackle Bryant Young are under way, according to the 49ers. The team expects that Young will return for his 14th season with the club. The length of the deal is still part of the discussion. Young, 35, has missed only three games in the last two seasons, and last year appeared in all 16 games. He won the Len Eshmont award, given to the team's most courageous and inspirational player, by a vote of his teammates for the seventh time last season. His 5.5 sacks and 52 tackles also made him a Pro Bowl alternate. "He still has a lot of that left," 49ers coach Mike Nolan said at the end of the season. "I also think that as we're building this thing, you need as many people like B.Y. on your football team (as possible) to reinforce what that player does, not only for your players, but for your community and every aspect of your organization. I would hope that for those two reasons he would remain."