Report: Deebo Samuel agrees to 3-year, $73.5 million extension with 49ers
After all the offseason turbulence, social media scrubbing and trade rumors, the San Francisco 49ers finally locked down wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
It's a three-year, $73.5 million deal with $58.1 million million guaranteed for Samuel, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
It’s a 3-year extension worth $73.5M source said with $58.1M guaranteed 💰 https://t.co/FhwU6Q8v5o
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 31, 2022
The move is a long-time coming for Samuel and the 49ers after months of speculation.
Samuel originally deleted all traces of the 49ers from his Instagram account and requested a trade from San Francisco earlier this offseason despite the team's willingness to meet his contract demands. At the time, Samuel reportedly wanted to play for a new team in a new system after not enjoying the hybrid receiving/running back role he played during the 2021 season.
Trade speculation circulated throughout the spring, with reports many teams were interested in acquiring Samuel. But by the time the 2022 draft ended, Samuel was still a 49er. San Francisco maintained their intention to keep Samuel throughout the offseason, especially while other pass-catchers reset the receiver market. Fellow 2019 draft classmates A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin and DK Metcalf signed lucrative deals, as did veterans Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill.
It looked like Samuel and the 49ers were headed to a reunion when Samuel reported to practice in June, and coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch continued to say nothing but positive things about their negotiations with Samuel in the early days of training camp.
Samuel was and will certainly be the centerpiece of the 49ers' offense now led by second-year quarterback Trey Lance. He set a career-high this past year with 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and six receiving touchdowns, including a league-high 18.2 yards per reception. Samuel added another 365 yards and eight rushing touchdowns on 59 carries, though he likely hopes for less of a workload in the ground game. For his career, Samuel has 167 total receptions with 3,148 combined scrimmage yards and 21 total touchdowns in 38 games.