Deebo Samuel and the 49ers have a future together after all.
After a tumultuous offseason in which Samuel scrubbed all things 49ers from his social media accounts and requested a trade, it turns out the only place the All-Pro wide receiver is going is back into the team’s offense as its top playmaker.
Samuel and the 49ers on Sunday agreed to a multiyear contract extension that pays him at a level among the top wide receivers in the NFL.
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Samuel’s new deal reportedly is a three-year extension worth $73.5 million, including $58.1 million in guaranteed money, per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.
The official contract structure will be known in the coming days, but the deal will pay Samuel in functional annual dollars similar to contracts signed this offseason by such top receivers as Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, A.J. Brown, Stefon Diggs, D.K. Metcalf and Terry McLaurin.
Samuel, 26, reported to training camp on time without a contract but has yet to practice. He took part in individual conditioning with members of the 49ers’ strength and conditioning staff in Santa Clara while his teammates were paced through the first week of workouts.
Samuel was scheduled to make $4 million this season on the final year of his original rookie contract. The 49ers selected Samuel in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
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But there never was a chance he'd step on the field this season without long-term financial security.
Samuel emerged as one of the NFL’s true superstars last season with his game-changing contributions as a pass-catcher and ball-carrier. He bounced back from an injury-riddled 2020 season to haul in 77 passes for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns in the regular season. After injuries in the 49ers’ backfield created a void, Samuel stepped in and rushed for 365 yards and eight touchdowns.
In three postseason games, Samuel had 154 yards and a touchdown receiving to go along with 137 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He was the team’s most explosive offensive threat and led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game.
Samuel hasn't publicly explained the source of his discontent.
Coach Kyle Shanahan and Samuel have a close relationship, and Shanahan downplayed the notion there is any issue about the plan for how the 49ers plan to deploy Samuel on offense in the future.
“I had a real good discussion with him,” Shanahan said at the start of training camp. “We're on the exact same page on it.”
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In the spring, the 49ers listened to trade offers for Samuel, concluding with the first day of the 2022 NFL Draft. But after being less than blown away by any offers, general manager John Lynch announced in June the 49ers-Samuel union unquestionably would continue.
“We all know what we have,” Lynch said during a Q&A session at the annual Dwight Clark Legacy Series. “Some things have transpired. We’ll remain consistent that the conversations that we have stay private because I think they deserve to be. I think we’ll be fine there, though. And I’m excited to have Deebo a part of us moving forward.
“We haven’t traded him. I’ve used the word ‘fool.’ I’d be a fool to trade him.”
Now, Lynch and the 49ers have delivered on their promise to keep Samuel around for the foreseeable future.