The San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Deebo Samuel have agreed to terms on a new year deal. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the contract is for a three-year extension worth $73.5 million, with $58.1 million in guaranteed money for the receiver:
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 relationship between Samuel and the team frosted in the off-season, with the receiver at one point requesting a trade out of San Francisco, due to his usage by Kyle Shanahan as a running back at times last year. While that relationship seemed to thaw as training camp approached, with Samuel attending the team’s mandatory minicamp, he was one of the players deciding to “hold in” as he sought a new deal.
With San Francisco set to begin padded practices this week, the team and the player found a way to completely mend the relationship with a new deal, putting Samuel in a position to return to the field.
Samuel is one of the game’s more unique talents, thanks to what he can do as a receiver, as a running back, and frankly as an offensive weapon. Plays like this one against the Cincinnati Bengals showcase what he can do working across the middle, as he makes a nifty adjustment towards the football while it is in flight:
Yet as noted, the 49ers found ways last year to use him in the running game, even running him in-between the tackles. On this play against the Dallas Cowboys, you see just that on an inside zone design:
Yet his best trait is perhaps as a pure offensive weapons. Plays like this, where San Francisco gets him the ball in space and lets him work, are a prime example:
San Francisco fans are relieved they can look forward to more plays like these over the life of the new deal.