Tag: 49ers

49ers offseason takes rough turn with former All-Pro’s trade request

The Deebo Samuel era is coming to an end.

The San Francisco 49ers offseason hit a snag on the final day of the 2024 season.

Hours before kickoff for Super Bowl LIX, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the 49ers have given wide receiver Deebo Samuel permission to seek a trade as he enters the final year of the three-year contract he signed before the 2022 season.

According to Schefter, the trade request came during player exit meetings for the 2024 season.

“It was a hard conversation to have with (head coach) Kyle (Shanahan) because of the relationship that we have,” Samuel said according to Schefter. “But I have to do what’s best. I’m more than thankful for the Niners giving me the opportunity of a lifetime, but now I think it’s best that we find another team.”

This throws an early wrench in the 49ers offseason, but it’s not a huge shock to hear Samuel and the 49ers are parting ways. He’s entering the final year of his three-year contract and there were already questions about whether San Francisco would keep him around for the 2025 season.

Samuel struggled last year to produce in the ways we’d become accustomed to seeing for the 2021 All-Pro. His overall production dipped, but his tackle breaking and yards-after-catch numbers plummeted. It’s easy to see why the 49ers would be hesitant to give him an extension. He’s due to carry a $15.8 million cap hit in 2025.  It’s equally easy to see why Samuel would want additional security on his contract as well.

Requesting a trade gives Samuel and his representation an opportunity to find a team that will give the versatile wide receiver a new deal that goes beyond the 2025 season.

Samuel has spent his entire six-year career in San Francisco after they took him in the second round of the 2019 draft. In 81 games (73 starts) he posted 334 receptions, 4,792 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns. He also took 202 carries and turned them into 1,143 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.

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Former Steelers trade target could be back on the market

The Steelers might have another shot to trade for Deebo Samuel.

According to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, the San Francisco 49ers are going to try to trade wide receiver Deebo Samuel this offseason. Last season Samuel was rumored to be a player the Pittsburgh Steelers were interested in so they should once again be one of the teams to reach out.

Samuel is in the final year of his contract and has a 2025 cap hit of $15.896 million. This is a bargain compared to the top wide receiver contracts in the league but Samuel has never really established himself as a true No. 1 receiver.

Nevertheless, Samuel paired up with George Pickens would be a dynamic tandem as Samuel excels at working inside and can take advantage of the coverage Pickens draws downfield.

Pittsburgh should have multiple options if they want to upgrade the wide receiver position via trade. In addition to Samuel, the Los Angeles Rams are going to try to trade Cooper Kupp in the offseason as well.

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New contract for aging veteran must be high priority for 49ers in 2025

The 49ers have to keep George Kittle in San Francisco.

While much of the offseason focus for the San Francisco 49ers will land on quarterback Brock Purdy’s contract extension and ways the team can retool for a Super Bowl via free agency and the NFL draft, there are handful of other housekeeping details to keep an eye on.

One of those details, a contract extension for tight end George Kittle, should land relatively high on the team’s priorities for the offseason.

Kittle told Kay Adams on Radio Row at Super Bowl LIX that he’d like to spend the rest of his career with San Francisco, and given his contributions as he’s entered his 30s, it would behoove them to ensure they’re keeping the four-time All-Pro around.

He was more mum on whether extension talks were in the works.

For the 49ers it’s a no-brainer to extend the TE they selected in the fifth round of the 2017 draft, particularly since they don’t have an heir-apparent and finding an adequate second tight end has proved difficult.

However, Kittle’s value has never been higher with quarterback Brock Purdy under center. It looked in 2021 like there may be a dip in production coming for Kittle as he entered his 30s. He put up a very strong 910 yards and six touchdowns that year, but followed it up in 2022 with 765 yards and 11 TDs.

Purdy’s reliance on Kittle in the red zone made it seem as though the TE would have a revised role where his yardage dipped, but his TDs might stay inflated. However, in the last two years Purdy has helped Kittle return to form as a reliable playmaker between the 20s as well.

In 36 games with Purdy since Purdy took over late in the 2022 season, Kittle has 159 catches for 2,332 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. He has 1,000 receiving yards in each of the last two years. His 15.7 yards per reception in 2023 were a career-high, and his 14.2 yards per reception in 2024 were the third-best mark of his career.

Kittle’s value as a blocker is still one of the highest at his position in the NFL, and he’s been rejuvenated as a go-to pass catching threat in the 49ers’ offense.

He’s entering the final year of his deal in 2024, and his value is as high as ever. Replacing Kittle isn’t going to be easy. The 49ers need to do everything they can this offseason to ensure he’s with them beyond the end of his contract at the close of the 2024 campaign.

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Former NFL coach thinks Brock Purdy should get major honor from 49ers

There’s a significant aspect of Brock Purdy’s career arc that flies under-the-radar while issues like his contract and his place in the NFL quarterback hierarchy dominate so much of the conversation around him. On Radio Row at Super Bowl LIX in New …

There’s a significant aspect of Brock Purdy’s career arc that flies under-the-radar while issues like his contract and his place in the NFL quarterback hierarchy dominate so much of the conversation around him.

On Radio Row at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, former NFL head coach Jon Gruden shed some light on the topic that generally doesn’t come to the fore with Purdy: He saved the 49ers and head coach Kyle Shanahan.

The 49ers in 2021 traded three first-round picks and a third-round pick to jump to No. 3 overall in the draft where they selected quarterback Trey Lance. That experiment failed for various reasons and Lance was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick ahead of his third NFL season.

Part of the reason the 49ers traded Lance was because of Purdy’s emergence as a rookie in 2022 when he went 5-0 as a starter in the regular season and helped get San Francisco to the NFC championship game. Had Purdy not broken out the way he did, and had Lance continued to struggle, there’s a very real chance we’d have seen a regime change in San Francisco.

Because of that, Gruden believes Purdy deserves one of the highest honors a player can get, along with a hefty new contract.

“They should build a statue of him in San Francisco,” Gruden said in a video taken by The SF Niners on Twitter (currently X). “He covered their (expletive), man. They gave up three first-round draft choices to get a guy they got rid of. This guy’s the last pick in the draft and he’s taking you to the Super Bowl. He’s taken them to the brink. He deserves to get paid, and I’ll leave it at that.”

There’s probably some hyperbole in Gruden’s thoughts on a statue, but his point is a salient one. Regardless of where Purdy ranks in a particular QB ranking, and regardless of whether he ever does win a Super Bowl, his play over the last three seasons is a huge reason the 49ers have been able to overcome whiffing on their massive swing for a QB four years ago.

That’s unlikely to play into the team’s calculus on how much he’ll be paid, but it does underscore the equity he’s accumulated with Shanahan and general manager John Lynch in San Francisco.

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49ers won’t get chance at NFL history with game in Ireland

No Ireland game for the 49ers.

The NFL will expand its international footprint during the 2025 season by playing its first ever regular-season game in Ireland.

While there are opportunities for the San Francisco 49ers to play overseas next season, they won’t be one of the teams participating in the league’s first jaunt to Ireland. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been designated as the home team for that contest.

Thanks to their last-place finish in the NFC West, the 49ers don’t face the Steelers next season. Instead they’ll visit the Cleveland Browns – the last place finisher in the AFC North.

That Cleveland game doe have the potential to take place overseas, it would just happen in London where the 49ers last played against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012.

While getting to be part of NFL history by playing in a country’s debut game would be cool, head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers would surely be okay with staying stateside for the entire season. The logistics and travel schedule that come with an international game are tough, and the last thing the 49ers need as they try and get back to Super Bowl form is the atypical travel and schedule that come with playing across the Atlantic.

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49ers defensive captain has no doubt about who team’s franchise QB is

Fred Warner: Big Brock Purdy guy.

While San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has received very public votes of confidence from general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, there’s still some questions in the general NFL discourse about whether the 49ers will actually pay Purdy this offseason.

Purdy, a 2022 draft pick, is extension-eligible for the first time. He appears to be on track for a sizable new contract. One person who doesn’t have any questions about Purdy is 49ers defensive captain, All-Pro and vocal team leader Fred Warner.

Warner in an interview with Dianna Russini on her podcast, ‘Scoop City,’ gave a full endorsement of Purdy as the team’s franchise QB.

“If you truly watch the tape,” Warner said, “and you watch all the other elite quarterbacks in this league, they all have a common thread amongst all of them in the fact they’re able to process the game at such a high level, being able to create plays with their feet, make the high level throws up and down the field – Brock Purdy does all these things. And he was in the MVP conversation a year ago, let’s not forget that. He took us to a Super Bowl and he gave us the lead before, obviously, Patrick Mahomes and them took it away from us in that Super Bowl.

“This is the guy. There’s no question. Everybody out there, if you have any questions about Brock Purdy, I’m here to tell you, I’m not biased, I know ball – he’s the guy.”

Warner has been a supporter of Purdy’s since the QB first took over as the starter late in the 2022 season. The two faced off in practice with Warner and the first-team defense going against Purdy when he ran the scout team.

A linebacker’s opinion of the QB may not typically carry a ton of weight. Warner’s voice carries weight in the 49ers locker room, though. That he’s so firmly backing Purdy with contract extension talks looming is a good indicator of where Purdy stands with his teammates and the organization.

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George Kittle extension with 49ers would give him rare opportunity

10-year Wall for George Kittle?

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is slated to enter the final year of his contract in the 2025 season. If he gets beyond 2025, he’ll be in line to do something that has become exceedingly rare in 49ers history.

Kittle in 2020 inked a five-year, $75 million extension with the 49ers and he’s on track to play out the entirety of that deal. He told FanDuel’s Kay Adams he wants to spend his entire career in San Francisco, and assuming he has more than one year of football left, a new contract would be in order to help him fulfill that wish.

Adams asked Kittle if there were any extension talks happening and Kittle looked at his watch before answering.

“Waiting on them,” Kittle said. “I think there’s been talking. We’re mildly on the same page.”

When pressed on why there’s a delay on a new contract, Kittle responded “I have no idea. I just work here. My agent does that stuff.”

If Kittle does get an extension, he would get to the 10-year mark with the 49ers and earn a spot on the franchise’s 10-Year Wall. That’s an area reserved only for players who spend at least 10 years with the franchise.

It would make sense that the 49ers would want to keep Kittle in red and gold for the foreseeable future. While he turns 32 in October, he’s revived his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. The 49ers also don’t have anyone waiting in the wings to take over as their starting TE.

Only 51 players all-time have earned a spot in that exclusive club. The last player to get on the wall was left tackle Joe Staley, who was drafted in 2007. Vernon Davis (2006 draft) and Frank Gore (2005 draft) also made it to the 10-year mark. Kittle has an excellent shot at joining them with Year 9 coming up and a potential contract extension looming.

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NFL insider predicts Brock Purdy contract to reset QB market

Brock Purdy’s contract won’t sit at the top of the QB market according to Dianna Russini’s prediction.

It seems there isn’t much question about whether the San Francisco 49ers want to sign quarterback Brock Purdy to a contract extension this offseason.

General manager John Lynch didn’t mince words at his end-of-season press conference, saying “I think what we know about Brock is that he’s our guy. We’ve got, we have interest in Brock being around here for a long, long time.”

How much Purdy gets paid remains to be seen, and there’s no consensus on where exactly his deal winds up from an average annual value perspective.

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini in a podcast with Robert Mays, said she thinks a deal in the $55-60 million annually will be the sweet spot for the 49ers and their franchise QB.

“Yeah, I think that’s going to be the number that they wind up sitting at,” Russini said via the Athletic. “I think the agent is going to try to get more but they’ll wind up settling in that area.

“Let’s make it clear though, I don’t think Brock Purdy’s sitting there going, ‘I’m demanding I want to be the highest-paid quarterback.’ I think for Brock Purdy if it was up to him he’d probably make a little bit more than he is now as long as he can drive his Toyota. I don’t think this is the type of player that’s in this to be the richest man in football. I think he just wants to be paid what he’s worth and continue to try to improve it and get them a Super Bowl.”

A $55 million average annual value would fall in line with recent extensions for Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow and Jordan Love. It would come up short of Dak Prescott’s $60 million AAV.

It wouldn’t be crazy if Purdy asked for a deal commensurate with those of Love and Lawrence considering he’s already accomplished more than both signal callers.

However, if Purdy truly isn’t worried about resetting the market at his position, his deal may fall in below those marks which would allow him to be well-paid while also giving the team some breathing room to continue building a strong roster around him.

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Brock Purdy contract talks not expected to last into training camp

Brock Purdy’s contract negotiations might look different this year.

There’s no bigger key to the San Francisco 49ers offseason than Brock Purdy’s contract extension.

Given how the team has handled some of its other sizable deals in recent years, allowing them to linger deep into training camp, the timeline of Purdy’s extension matters more than the actual dollar amount.

There’s serious danger for the club if Purdy’s contract talks last into August or September, but there’s some reason for optimism that won’t happen. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini on her podcast ‘Scoop City’ indicated both the 49ers and Purdy’s camp are motivated to get a deal done earlier than the last couple of contracts San Francisco has negotiated.

“But from everything I know, both sides are very committed to getting this deal done,” Russini said via the Athletic. “I think they’re going to begin working on this very soon. This isn’t something they’re going to be pushing off or that we’re going to be discussing during training camp. I think this is something that they’re both in line with. Let’s get the ball rolling on this and figure out where we are going to land on a number.”

General manager John Lynch in his season-ending press conference indicated the team was committed to Purdy as its franchise signal caller. If that’s the case, working to hammer that deal out before the team reports for OTAs in mid-April would behoove the 49ers.

Perhaps there’s a long standoff over dollars or structure. All signs for now point to an early negotiation, which is a good sign for a contract getting done before training camp begins.

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49ers star shows up to Super Bowl in Eagles jersey

Deebo Samuel made his Super Bowl allegiances known.

San Francisco star Deebo Samuel made his rooting interests known in Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

It’s all Philly, baby.

Samuel arrived in New Orleans sporting an AJ Brown Eagles jersey. Samuel and Brown are friends and both are represented by agents Tory Dandy and Jimmy Sexton.

Samuel arriving in one of the Eagles’ alternate jerseys created quite the stir online. Some San Francisco fans are torn to see Samuel supporting an Eagles franchise that ended the 49ers’ 2022 season in the NFC Championship game.

But, most seem to understand that Samuel is supporting his friend. Plus, the Chiefs have denied San Francisco a pair of Super Bowl championships during Samuel’s time with the 49ers to cap the 2019 and 2023 NFL seasons.

Samuel just completed his sixth NFL season where he caught 51 passes for 670 yards and three scores. The 6-foot wide receiver also rushed 42 times for 136 yards and one touchdown.

Samuel is entering his age 29 season and the final year of his current 49ers contract.

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