Samuel had been holding out of the start of training camp while waiting for a new contract extension as it seems that both he and San Francisco’s front office had started to mend the fences on their once tipsy relationship. With Samuel getting his payday, it’s expected that he will begin participating in training camp this week as the pads start to come on.
The former South Carolina gamecock was one of the few young stars in the NFL holding out of training camp due to contract negotiations. Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf was one of them. This past week, the No. 64 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft was able to secure an extension: a 3-year, $72 million contract that has $58.2 million guaranteed ($100K more guaranteed), including an average annual salary of $24 million.
Both Samuel and Metcalf have similar contracts with Samuel only making $500k more than his former draft mate.
With this new extension. Samuel can now focus on helping a 49ers offense that remains most intact outside of the quarterback position. The All-Pro wide receiver offers a unique skill set that allows head coach Kyle Shanahan to be much more versatile with how he runs his offense.
Samuel is both a great receiver and a good rusher. While his touches on the ground may decrease this season, the former 1st-team All-American’s targets may see an increase as he could be more of a featured target than he was last season, which is a scary thought for any defensive back and coordinator.
With his elite run-after-catch skills, vision, balance, route-running ability, ball skills, and physicality, Samuel will be one of the biggest threats on the field week in and week out.
The 49ers will have an incredibly skilled receiver back for the long term. Samuel is a critical piece in 2nd-year quarterback Trey Lance’s development. Lance has the potential to be a star in the NFL and having a weapon like Deebo Samuel will help with Lance’s growth tremendously.
As for the rest of the league and its bevy of young stars at wide receiver, there will be contracts to be given to receivers such as CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, and Diontae Johnson.
The extensions handed out to D.J. Moore, Metcalf, Terry McLaurin, Samuel, and A.J. Brown are only increasing the asking price (btw, Moore’s contract looks much cheaper than it did in April). Out of the three receivers previously mentioned, it’s likely that Justin Jefferson could be the second receiver to average $30 million. Ja’Marr Chase, assuming he continues to produce similar numbers to his rookie year, could be the next.
Deebo Samuel will be 29 years old when he could get his new contract extension. Could he be the first receiver to average $40 million per year? Only time will tell. For now, the 49ers have their franchise receiver locked up for the next few years.
