Deebo Samuel didn’t mince words in his press conference Tuesday. The recently-extended wide receiver was asked about offseason reports that his trade request came as a result of displeasure with his role. His response was straightforward.
“That’s false,” Samuel said. “There’s a lot of things that came out that I want to speak on, but at the end of the day I wasn’t allowed to. I mean, you can turn on the tape and go back to the Cowboys game. It kind of shows what kind of player I am. And also, I mean, you can go turn on the Pro Bowl tape and like, what I said about being a wideback, I don’t mind doing whatever it takes for this team to win.”
In that Cowboys game Samuel told head coach Kyle Shanahan he wanted the ball after an interception by cornerback K’Waun Williams. Shanahan called a handoff to Samuel on the next play and the receiver took in for a touchdown.
Then in an interview at the Pro Bowl told Lisa Salters he liked playing wideback because, “I can get the ball. That’s what I really like, the ball in my hands all the time.”
There’s no stipulations restricting usage in Samuel’s contract, and neither Shanahan nor general manager John Lynch have indicated usage was ever an issue in contract talks. The 49ers will reward Samuel for rushing production via incentives in his deal, but there’s no reason to believe the contract was contingent on those $650,000 per year.
Samuel last season posted 1,770 scrimmage yards and 14 total touchdowns, including 365 rushing yards on 59 carries with eight touchdowns on the ground. It was the most unique season by a wide receiver in history, and the 49ers and Samuel both seem ready for him to replicate those numbers in 2022.
