49ERS WR DEEBO SAMUEL SIGNS MASSIVE THREE-YEAR, $73.5 MILLION EXTENSION
The San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Deebo Samuel agreed to terms on a massive three-year contract extension worth up to $73.5 million.
The deal includes a $71.55 million base salary and $58.1 million in guaranteed money, the most guaranteed money for any wide receiver selected in the 2019 NFL draft. The three-year contract keeps Samuel in San Francisco through the 2025 season, meaning Deebo will be 29 years old when he hits free agency before the 2026 season. Samuel is set to earn $24.5 million on average per year, slightly higher than the $24 million average slated for Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf after he signed his contract last week. Samuel is now the seventh wideout this offseason to sign a deal worth at least $24 million per year. Before this season, only Arizona Cardinals’ DeAndre Hopkins had hit that mark.
“We are overjoyed to have come together with Deebo to keep him with the 49ers for years to come,” 49ers General Manager John Lynch said in a statement. “Deebo has the rare ability to not only play at a unique level but to inspire his teammates with the way he plays. He is a special player that embodies “will meeting skill.” We’re proud to move forward with him as an integral leader and foundational piece of our team.”
Deebo had handed in a trade request after the 2021 season, and the 49ers and Samuel’s camp had to work to rebuild the relationship between the player’s camp and the club before an agreement was signed. Samuel attended mandatory minicamp in June after the team opted to not let him go as offers came in leading up to the NFL draft in April. He also attended training camp in the past week but did not participate amid contract negotiation talks. With the contract signed, sealed, and delivered, the “hold in” is now over and Samuel was back in training with the 49ers on Monday.
Samuel was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft (36th overall) and the 6-foot-0, 215lbs receiver has been a revelation for the NFC West team ever since. In three years, Samuel has played in 38 games, starting in 31, and has put up 167 receptions for 2,598 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns to go along with his 11 rushing touchdowns and 550 rushing yards.
An ultimate weapon for Kyle Shanahan’s offense, the 2021 Pro Bowler had an All-Pro year last year as he put up 77 receptions for 1,405 receiving yards (18.2 average), and 5 receiving touchdowns in 16 games (15 starts). Samuel was also menacing on the ground as he registered 8 rushing touchdowns, the most by any player in the NFL since the merger whose primary position was wide receiver. A dual offensive threat, Samuel became the first player since 1999 and third in NFL history to have at least 1,000 receiving yards, five receiving touchdowns, and five rushing scores in the same season.
With the 49ers transitioning from Jimmy Garoppolo to Trey Lance this season, and the team losing both offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and running back Raheem Mostert to the Miami Dolphins during the offseason, it was imperative that the team retained one of its main threats on offense. It remains to be seen if Samuel’s new contract involves a curtailed role in the running game or if the team will still continue to lean on the former South Carolina Gamecock to run the football. The 49ers have a relatively young running back room that was largely unimpressive in 2021, sporting the likes of sixth-rounder Elijah Mitchell, 2018 undrafted free agent Jeff Wilson Jr, and third-round draftee Trey Sermon. All three running backs would have to elevate their games for the 49ers to be able to keep Samuel out of the backfield.
A unique clause in the contract also incentivizes Deebo to continue his dual threat role as both a pass catcher and rusher, which was something the wideout was vocal about during the offseason. Per NBC Sports “Samuel gets $650,000 for each year in which he rushes for 380 yards. If he doesn’t get to 380 rushing yards but scores three rushing touchdowns, he gets $150,000 instead. But the cap on the total incentives each year is $650,000.
“In other words, if he rushes for 380 yards and scores three rushing touchdowns, he still gets $650,000, not $650,000 plus $150,000. Samuel can earn either incentive three times in the four years of the contract, capping the total incentives at $1.95 million.”
The signed contract means Samuel’s agent Tory Dandy negotiated over $600 million in contract extensions this offseason as Samuel’s deal caps a record offseason for wide receivers in the league. Eleven receivers including Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill, Las Vegas Raiders’ Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, AJ Brown, Stefon Diggs, DK Metcalf, Terry McLaurin, DJ Moore, Chris Godwin, Mike Williams, and Deebo Samuel have all signed deals worth $20 million or more on average a year this summer.
With contract extensions pretty much covered, attention in the league now shifts to the football side of things as players prepare for the NFL preseason, which kicks off with the Hall of Fame game on Thursday between the Chicago Bears and the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers will play their first preseason game on Friday the 12th when they host the Green Bay Packers at 8:30 pm ET.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: PeakDill. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.