There’s still nothing concrete on the Deebo Samuel front, but tensions appear to be easing following his trade request ahead of the NFL draft in late April. A social media post from the All-Pro wide receiver is the latest indication that he plans on returning to San Francisco and at least playing out the final year of his rookie contract in 2022.
The NFL Instagram account asked in a post who the best returning WR duo was in 2022. 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk shared that post and tagged Samuel at the end of the caption, “I like us Gang.”
Samuel then shared that post and wrote “Of course” with a snake and crossed fingers emojis. Your guess is as good as ours as to what those mean.
(via Instagram/ @19problemz)
While this is not substantial news on his potential return, it’s at least public acknowledgement of the 49ers and his presence on the roster. That’s a far cry from deleting all references to the team from his Instagram the way he did earlier in the offseason.
This also isn’t the first sign of the chasm closing between Samuel and the 49ers. He was also in attendance for mandatory minicamp where he seemed in good spirits while interacting with teammates and following team drills with a play sheet per reports from media on site.
There’s a long way to go before Samuel and the 49ers come together on a long-term contract extension, but this latest social media post is at least another good sign that things are heading in the right direction.