Wide receiver Deebo Samuel signed a three-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday, ending any speculation about his future with the organization.
Aside from signing a new deal, Samuel also raised other questions about his future with the 49ers. One of these is if the team will continue to use him in a hybrid role that helped him earn All-Pro status last season. According to Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers will continue to utilize him in this type of role, though the exact shape of the role will depend on various factors.
Based on the team’s personnel and how they think about it, the 49ers’ decision to retain Samuel was based on his value as a player and the team’s chances of winning. In addition to being a special player, Samuel brought a unique blend of skills to the table that the organization could not replace.
“I think [it’s] based off of whatever happens,” Shanahan said. “From my standpoint schematically, from our team’s personnel, from Deebo’s, from what we think gives us the best chance to win, if we wanted to move Deebo to running back that would have been something that we were honest about. … You can’t do that with anybody. You’ve got to do that with a special player and Deebo is a special player. That’s why he’s earned this contract that he’s got and I think that’s why he’s going to continue to earn it going forward.”
The value of Samuel’s new contract is estimated to be around $73.5 million over the next three years. Some of the money is tied to incentives that Samuel can receive if he continued to perform at a similar level in 2021. Throughout the contract period, he will earn $68.1 million in guarantees.
If Samuel has a total of over 380 rushing yards in a season, he will be able to receive $650,000. If he doesn’t reach this level, the wide receiver will receive $150,000 in bonuses each year in the form of incentives. He can also earn more than $1.95 million over the course of the contract if he scores three rushing touchdowns.
In 2021, Samuel had his most productive season as a pro, as he rushed for 365 yards and eight total scores. Given that the total rushing yards he gained during that season would not be considered salary-capable, the TD incentive will most likely be earned.
Speculation on Samuel’s morale
It was speculated that Samuel wanted to be moved to a more prominent role in the offense and was unhappy with his role. However, during his press conference last week, coach Shanahan said that he and Samuel were on the same page regarding the wide receiver usage.
During his press conference on Monday, Shanahan said that Samuel will still be a part of the 49ers’ plans in whatever role they need him to play to win. The head coach also noted that the team’s personnel will be used in various ways depending on the opponent.
The coach also praised Samuel’s ability to perform multiple roles on the field. Shanahan said that the wide receiver’s versatility allows him to do multiple things on the field.
“When Deebo stays healthy and he’s able to practice and able to go through things, Deebo is capable of doing anything,” Shanahan said. “That’s why he’s helped us so much to win, whether it’s in the pass game or the run game or whether it’s blocking or throwing the one time we asked him to throw.”