George Kittle Guesses Deebo Samuel, 49ers Agree to New Contract 'In Three Weeks'
June 24, 2022
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel is still waiting for a contract extension, but with training camp quickly approaching, veteran tight end George Kittle doesn't believe his teammate will be waiting much longer.
Speaking on the Bussin' with the Boys podcast, Kittle said he believes the 49ers and Samuel will soon agree to a new deal.
"Something crazy could happen. I could be eating my words in two weeks. But the Niners have done every major contract—mine, Fred Warner's—the week before the season started. So, my guess is in three weeks we'll hear news of it, but I have no idea," Kittle said, via Logan Mullen of 95.7 The Game.
Kittle and Warner actually received new deals well before the regular season began. Kittle signed a five-year, $75 million extension Aug. 13, 2020, and Warner signed a five-year, $95.2 million extension July 21, 2021.
Kittle also said that the Niners should have avoided all the drama by extending Samuel sooner.
"I don't know anything. All I know is that in hindsight, I would've paid Deebo three-quarters of the way through the season, try to do a contract in-season, for sure," Kittle said. "Probably would've been cheaper. Christian Kirk really set the market off."
Kittle made a great point, too. Kirk signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars in March after posting 982 yards and five touchdowns with the Arizona Cardinals in 2021.
For comparison, Samuel recorded 1,405 receiving yards and six touchdowns in addition to 365 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Simply put, he's due for a significant extension that should make him one of the highest-paid receivers in the league.
A.J. Brown, Cooper Kupp, DeAndre Hopkins, Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill all make at least $25 million per year. It's reasonable to believe Samuel wants to join that elite category.
That said, Samuel has been in search of a new contract for some time and even requested a trade ahead of the draft.
Samuel participated in mandatory minicamp this month, so there's hope the two sides can strike a deal to keep him in San Francisco for years to come.