SANTA CLARA, Calif. — wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers deebo samuel signed his lucrative three-year contract extension on Monday, ending the question of whether he will remain with the team for the foreseeable future.
But Samuel’s new deal also raised many other questions regarding his future, the most pressing of which is: Will the Niners continue to use him in the “broadback” hybrid role that elevated Samuel to All-Pro status from the first team last season?
The answer is yes, according to coach Kyle Shanahan, but what form he takes will depend on multiple factors.
“I think [it’s] based on what happens,” Shanahan said. “From my point of view schematically, from our team personnel, from Deebo, from what we think gives us the best chance of winning, if we wanted to move Deebo to running back, that would have been something that we were honest. … You can’t do that with anyone. You have to do that with a special player and Deebo is a special player. That’s why he earned this contract that he has and I think that’s why he will continue to earn it in the future.”
What Samuel won is a three-year extension through the 2025 season agreed to on Sunday that is worth up to $73.5 million and includes $58.1 million in guarantees. It turns out that part of that maximum value is directly related to the incentives that Samuel can get if he performs that dual role at a production rate similar to 2021.
Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday that Samuel could earn up to $1.95 million over the life of his contract if he meets certain benchmarks for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
Samuel can earn $650,000 for each season that he has 380 or more rushing yards. If he doesn’t total rushing yards, he can earn $150,000 in bonuses in any season in which he scores at least three rushing touchdowns. Either way, he cannot earn more than a total of $650,000 per season or more than $1.95 million over the life of the contract from these rushing incentives.
For the sake of comparison, Samuel had his most productive rushing season as a pro in 2021, amassing 365 yards and eight touchdowns, making him likely to earn the TD incentive and unlikely to earn the rushing total. effects of the salary cap.
Throughout the offseason, speculation persisted that Samuel was unhappy with his role and wanted to cut down on career attempts. But Shanahan said last week that he and Samuel were “exactly on the same page” when it comes to usage.
Shanahan reiterated Monday that Samuel will again feature high in the plans in whatever way is necessary to help the 49ers win depending on the opponent, what they see on film, how the 53-man roster comes together and possible groupings. of personal.
“When Deebo stays healthy and is able to practice and get through things, Deebo is capable of doing anything,” Shanahan said. “That’s why he’s helped us win so much, whether it’s the passing game or the running game or whether he’s blocking or shooting the one time we’ve asked him to shoot. When you’ve got guys that have skill sets that can do a number of things that you want them to always keep doing.
After signing his contract Monday morning, Samuel joined his teammates in practice for the first time this season, a session that also happened to be the team’s first fully padded workout of camp.
Because it was Samuel’s first practice, the Niners made it easy for him, keeping him on a snap count, and will continue to increase his workload as the days go by, according to Shanahan. Samuel made a couple of catches for big gains from the backup quarterback Nate Sudfield in their limited work on team exercises.
left input trent williamswho is a close friend of Samuel, said there was a noticeable energy boost in having him back in the fold.
“You watch what he does receiving wisely, you watch what he does running wisely, you watch the spark plug he is for the team,” Williams said. “You see us coming out of the locker room, that’s not just for show. That’s how we are in the locker room. If you walk in there right now, that stereo is probably right next to his locker. He’s that kind of guy and that’s why It’s important to this organization and that’s why we had to have it.”