Impact Of Deebo Samuel Contract Extension On The San Francisco 49ers

All of the drama surrounding star wide receiver Deebo Samuel and the San Francisco 49ers came to a head on Sunday.

Following an offseason filled with trade requests and contract issues, things are now settled for at least the next four seasons.

Multiple media reports indicate that Samuel has signed a three-year, $71.55 million extension with $58.1 million in total guarantees. This deal makes Samuel the eighth highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL on a per-year basis. It also concludes a cycle around the NFL in which multiple star pass-catchers have inked long-term extensions.

Leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft in April, Samuel had requested a trade from the 49ers. It seemingly came out of nowhere after he put up a brilliant 2021 season en route to helping San Francisco to the NFC Championship Game.

Samuel, 26, was unhappy about his underpaid status and usage as a part-time running back in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s system. Apparently, $58.1 million in guarantees will solve a lot of issues.

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Breaking Down Deebo Samuel’s Contract With the San Francisco 49ers

As noted above, Samuel is now the eighth highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL when it comes to average salary. Six of the seven ranked ahead of him signed extensions with their respective teams during this past offseason. This just goes to show us how the wide receiver market continues to take off.

Reading into the details of said contract, the $58.1 million in guarantees Samuel received ranks ninth among NFL wide receivers. It will be interesting to see what the fully-guaranteed cash is. That’s a bigger tell than average annual salary and total guarantees.

From a broader perspective, San Francisco now has a whole host of players ranked within the five highest paid at their position in the NFL. That list includes Samuel, George Kittle, Trent Williams, Arik Armstead, Fred Warner and Kyle Juszczyk. Nick Bosa will soon follow, too.

What the Deebo Samuel Contract Means For The 49ers’ Cap Situation

The whole narrative that San Francisco was unable to extend Samuel due to Jimmy Garoppolo’s presence on the roster is false. The 49ers have $4.3 million in cap room. Samuel’s cap hit was slated to be $4.89 million for the 2022 season.

With that said, moving off Garoppolo while saving $25.5 million against the cap could impact the structure of Samuel’s contract. In short, San Francisco could front load said deal while creating salary cap flexibility moving forward to extend stud edge rusher Nick Bosa and other core pieces.

As it stands, the financials don’t change too much short-term. It’s going to be all about the aforementioned structure and whether San Francisco’s brass takes into account an increased NFL salary cap moving forward due to the league’s record-breaking television contract.

As for Bosa, it now seems rather obvious that the 49ers will take care of his potentially record-breaking contract extension next offseason. Remember, they already picked up his option for the 2023 season.

“I think the thing I’d tell you there is, if you look at our history, our cadence, most of our deals are done with one year left on the contract,” San Francisco 49ers general manager Lynch told reporters when asked about a potential Nick Bosa extension, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “Nick’s got two years left, and so that doesn’t make it impossible, but it makes it more likely that it’s something that will be addressed next year.”

Impact On Trey Lance’s Development

Officially named San Francisco’s starting quarterback at the start of training camp, Lance has had an up-and-down start to the summer session. That’s expected from a second-year quarterback with very little experience.

Lance has shown a nice working relationship with Brandon Aiyuk during practices in Santa Clara. He’s also finding a connection with All-Pro tight end George Kittle. Getting Samuel back on the practice field just as the pads come on is no small thing.

Samuel was absolutely dynamic for the 49ers a season ago. He caught 77 passes for 1,405 yards while leading the league with an average of 18.2 yards per catch. Samuel also added 365 rushing yards and 14 total touchdowns to the mix.

In the 2.5 games that Lance played as a rookie last season, Samuel caught 10 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns. The two already have a stellar relationship. Extra reps during training camp will only help come Week 1 against the Chicago Bears.