The San Francisco 49ers can begin thinking about a contract extension for wide receiver Deebo Samuel this offseason. The 26-year-old has quickly become one of the league's biggest stars and a headache for opposing defensive coordinators.
Samuel racked up an impressive 1,770 all-purpose yards and 14 total touchdowns this past season, with eight of those trips into the end zone coming on rushing attempts. Samuel has proven he can play wide receiver, running back, and even has his sights on kicking a field goal.
And don't discount Samuel's arm. He threw a touchdown pass to fellow wideout Jauan Jennings this season, proving he can do anything asked of him.
This man is a PROBLEM! Deebo does it all!
📺 FOX#SFvsLAR pic.twitter.com/3HNFHZvWTu
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 9, 2022
Samuel's uniqueness has led many to believe that negotiating his contract will be complicated. For example, do you simply look at Samuel as a wideout, or do you factor in everything he can do? Obviously, he would prefer to be paid like a receiver rather than a running back.
"I'm a wideout before anything," Samuel told Stephen A. Smith and Charly Arnolt on ESPN's First Take. "I think I had probably a thousand yards by Week 10 (he had 979 receiving yards and 1,037 all-purpose yards by Week 10), so that kind of shows you that I'm still a wideout and ended up with over 500 rushing yards (including the playoffs).
"It just shows you that I can do anything you ask me to do, even a little bit of kick returner. We needed a play, you go back to the Packers game, right after the half, I think that got our team going, that kick return I had."
While the 49ers are likely happy to hear that Samuel primarily considers himself a receiver, his representatives will probably leverage his versatility during contract negotiations.
"Me personally, I think I'm a wideout," Samuel added. "And then a wideout that can really play anything."
That sounds expensive for the 49ers but probably worth it to keep one of the NFL's most-talented young players in the building.
