After an offseason last year filled with quarterback controversy and competition, 49ers fans have an entirely new drama on their hands as they wait for the 2022 NFL season to start -- the Deebo Samuel saga.
It seems like everyone is weighing in on Samuel’s looming contract extension, especially after he removed all traces of the team that drafted him from his social media pages. Football spectators and analysts alike are all wondering: What in the world is going on with Deebo?
While it’s impossible to know how contract negotiations between San Francisco and its star wide receiver are going without being in the room, ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter seemed to put the blame on Samuel during Tuesday’s episode of “NFL Live.”
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“San Francisco wants to pay Deebo Samuel, but Deebo Samuel was the one who scrubbed the 49ers logos off his social media page,” Schefter said. “Deebo Samuel was the one that essentially, basically made it known he wanted to move on.”
Samuel is in search of a high-paying contract extension after several of his receiving peers including Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs and Davante Adams signed massive deals this offseason.
John Lynch has made it known that the 49ers front office fully intends to pay both Samuel and defensive end Nick Bosa, who is also due for an extension either this year or next.
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“San Francisco would pay Deebo Samuel today, tomorrow, the next day. It’s not hard to figure out what the contract would look like,” Schefter continued. “We’ve seen some of the top numbers in the league. This, I think right now, is Deebo Samuel not wanting to get a deal done.
“It’s not San Francisco not willing to do the deal, the 49ers are ready. Deebo Samuel is the one who has put a halt to everything for right now.”
As negotiations continue, Samuel said he has faced death threats and racial slurs from “fans” who don’t agree with his tactics. Despite the hate, San Francisco’s multifaceted “wide back” is keeping a positive attitude and told followers via his Instagram story that he’s “chillin’" and "happy."
It was also reported on Monday that Samuel won’t take part in the on-field portion of the 49ers’ offseason program until a contract extension agreement is reached.
The decision is likely to protect himself from any injury, but it nonetheless got people talking.
NFL Network’s Steve Wyche said on air that the negotiations likely won’t be settled any time soon (h/t 49ers Webzone).
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“The 49ers -- I spoke with someone there -- they’ve been in contact with [Samuel’s] agent. They’re trying to get something done,” Wyche said. “But this could be a long spring and summer before they get a contract done with the numbers that we’ve seen in that exploding wide receiver market.”
As was the case with Fred Warner and George Kittle, the 49ers typically like to wait until training camp to pay their guys the big bucks when it comes to contract extensions.
Like Wyche said, it will likely be a long few months remaining on stand by to see whether or not San Francisco and its 2019 second-round pick can agree on a deal before the season starts.
