The 49ers’ nightmare is over. They’ve agreed to a contract extension with wide receiver Deebo Samuel per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. The deal is for three years and worth up to $73.5 million with $58.1 million guaranteed.
Samuel’s $58.1 million is the second-highest ever for a wide receiver, coming in just behind Seahawks WR DK Metcalf who earned $58.2 million guaranteed from the Seahawks. The three-year deal will put Samuel on the free agent market after the 2025 season, shortly after he turns 30-years old.
Samuel is entering the final year of his rookie contract and wasn’t likely to play out the fourth season without some kind of long-term assurance. He requested a trade in late April a week before the NFL draft after taking issue with either his role as a ‘wide back’ per Rapoport.
Any concerns about his long-term future were apparently quelled by the 49ers and allowed the former second-round pick to come back to the negotiating table. He’s been holding-in at training camp where he’s been in the facility, but doing conditioning on a side field during practice. Now that a deal is done he’ll join his teammates on the practice field Monday when the team puts pads on.
Samuel had a strong rookie season that he backed up with an injury-riddled sophomore campaign. In Year 3 he broke out with 1,405 receiving yards, 365 rushing yards and 14 total touchdowns.
Now he’ll have a chance to back up his stellar 2021 season where he earned a First-Team All-Pro nod with a couple more big years. If he replicates his productivity from last year over the next two seasons, we could see Samuel earn another sizable raise in the near future.