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49ers' Deebo Samuel Posts Video Saying He's Received Death Threats, Racist Messages
April 15, 2022
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel said users on social media have been sending him death threats and racist messages.
In a video posted on social media, Samuel said:
Ari Meirov @MySportsUpdate<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/49ers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#49ers</a> WR Deebo Samuel says he's gotten death threats and racist messages from fans (likely over his contract situation).<br><br>Deebo says it doesn't bother him. Sad this stuff still happens.<a href="https://t.co/EPLsnJYpmE">pic.twitter.com/EPLsnJYpmE</a>
Samuel recently scrubbed his Instagram page of any references to the 49ers, and he stopped following the team on the website as he reportedly seeks a new contract.
It's unclear if the messages are related to Samuel's rumored desire for a new deal.
Samuel has been public about his desire for a new contract. He was joking with fans on Twitter about what a deal could look like after seeing some of the money wide receivers were getting at the start of free agency:
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area noted the 49ers have a history of signing their core players to extensions, but it tends to take them longer than it might for another team.
Maiocco cited the extensions for George Kittle (signed in August 2020) and Fred Warner (signed in July 2021) as examples.
General manager John Lynch told reporters in February that long-term extensions for Samuel and Nick Bosa have "been budgeted for."
A lot of things have changed in the subsequent two months, especially with the receiver market. Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams signed the largest deals for wide receivers by average annual salary after being traded from their previous teams.
Adams' deal with the Las Vegas Raiders is the richest in NFL history for a receiver at five years, $141.25 million.
Stefon Diggs, who signed an extension with the Buffalo Bills on April 6, ranks fourth on that list with an average salary of $24 million.
Samuel is scheduled to earn $3.986 million in 2022, the final season of his rookie contract. The 26-year-old was one of the best offensive players in the NFL last year. He set a career high with 1,405 receiving yards, led the league with 18.2 yards per reception, ran for 365 yards and scored 14 total touchdowns.
San Francisco's offense took off in the second half of the season when head coach Kyle Shanahan began incorporating Samuel into the running game. He had 291 total yards of offense (137 rushing) in the playoffs to help the 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game.