The San Francisco 49ers kick off organized team activities (OTAs) today. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo won't be there. He is still recovering from the March 8 surgery that stalled the team's ability to trade him. However, most expect Garoppolo to be off the roster by Week 1.
Another noticeable absence will be that of wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Ian Rapoport confirmed that on Monday. Of course, that news shouldn't surprise anyone.
The #49ers begin OTAs today and star WR Deebo Samuel won't be in attendance, source said. Not a surprise, as his situation remains unsettled.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 23, 2022
In April, news broke that Samuel no longer wanted to play for the 49ers and requested to be traded. If San Francisco's decision-makers were to give in, it would have been before or during the draft. That didn't happen, and the 49ers hope they can mend their relationship with their star receiver.
OTAs are voluntary, so no one expected the disgruntled wide receiver to attend. The team's first mandatory activity comes in the form of a three-day minicamp starting on June 13. Samuel's absence for that would be more headline-worthy.
Samuel's teammate, tight end George Kittle, recently spoke with the wide receiver. However, the discussion didn't involve the contract extension dispute between Samuel and the 49ers.
"Yeah, he seemed like he was in a good mood," Kittle said this week on The Pat McAfee Show. "He was hanging out with his kid, who he just had. ... I didn't ask about his contract, so we were just talking about other things, where he's training at, and we ended up talking about sneakers for a little bit because we both are sneakerheads. So that was our entire conversation, but he seems like he's in a good place.
"I think Deebo knows that this team loves him. We'd love to have him here. If he wants to play somewhere else, hey, it is what it is. It's a business, so I wish him nothing but the best of luck if he goes somewhere else."
Samuel is in Texas right now. He was spotted courtside at Sunday's NBA playoff game between the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks. After the Warriors' 109-100 victory, Draymond Green walked over to Samuel and awarded the wide receiver his game jersey. Later, Samuel was seen chatting with Stephen Curry outside the Warriors' locker room.
