San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel sparked discussion this week when he took to social media to address the narrative that he is struggling offensively. Rather than accepting the criticism, Samuel pointed to a lack of opportunities as the reason behind his limited production.
On Monday, Samuel posted, "Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!!"
The comments drew mixed reactions. Critics argued Samuel was deflecting responsibility for failing to live up to the lucrative contract extension he signed two years ago. Since his breakout 2021 season, Samuel has not surpassed 900 receiving yards and is on pace to fall short again this year.
Samuel has totaled just 553 receiving yards and two touchdowns—one rushing and one receiving—so far this season.
On Tuesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if his polarizing wideout has expressed frustration with his usage on offense.
"Deebo and I talk every day, so I understand Deebo saying that," Shanahan said. "Deebo wants to help us out, and the only way he helps us out is getting the ball more. And we'd like to get it to him more, and we'll continue to work at that."
When asked on Tuesday about his social media post, which has since been deleted, Samuel said, "You read what you read. I was frustrated, for sure."
Deebo Samuel explains why he's struggling. pic.twitter.com/nwjPtxZop6
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) December 10, 2024
While Shanahan admitted there are better ways to express frustration, he downplayed any notion that Samuel's comments had created a distraction within the team.
"We'd always love things to stay in-house," Shanahan explained. "That's probably why I don't mess with social media. I'm sure I'd get worked up and stuff, too, if I was reading stuff about myself all the time. Then, I'd maybe make a tweet or something. But is it a distraction in our building? No. We gotta answer questions about it. It's the first time I've talked about it is right here.
"But Deebo and I see each other every day and talk about stuff every day, so my advice is to not let outside [noise] frustrate you because just answering those things isn't gonna help you in any way. It usually only hurts you. But as far as what we deal with in our relationships and our team, it's water under the bridge."
Quarterback Brock Purdy also weighed in, expressing his admiration for Samuel and understanding of the receiver's perspective.
"Deebo and I talk all the time, and he's like one of my best friends on this team," Purdy shared. "I absolutely love Deebo and what he's done for me and helping me out."
Purdy also weighed in on Samuel commenting that limited opportunities are restricting him.
"I think he's right," Purdy said. "He's doing great right now with what we ask of him in the offense, and he's not struggling. ... There's just moments, I guess, throughout seasons where guys just don't get the ball, just depending on scheme or what the defensive scheme is, and them taking guys away.
"I want to get Deebo the ball every play if I could. I want to have him break all the records as best as possible. I want Deebo to do Deebo things, and we all do in this building. So, that's just how the games have gone. But I love my guy, and I'm going to do everything I can to give him the ball."