By all accounts, it appears that the San Francisco 49ers and dual-threat offensive weapon Deebo Samuel are headed toward a divorce that could be finalized as soon as next month.
During the latest edition of "The TK Show," 49ers insider Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard addressed why Samuel had a down 2024 season as he dealt with multiple physical setbacks.
"He had a bad year," Kawakami said about Samuel, as shared by David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "He is not in shape. ...I keep hearing it, 20 pounds overweight. And that led to a lot of his lack of explosion, in their belief, his lack of ability to get through tackles, [which has] kind of been who he is. That's why he's so valuable. It's not because he's outrunning people. And the sense that Deebo's, 'Okay, you don't think I'm that valuable? Let me get out of here.' I think that this has come to an end. This relationship, which was great for (head coach) Kyle Shanahan and Deebo — I think they're still close — but I think had been bumpy."
Samuel, who turned 29 years old in January, tallied 51 receptions for 670 yards with three touchdowns over 15 games this season. He also rushed for a paltry 3.2 yards per attempt and a score on 42 carries.
A report from earlier this week detailed how the 49ers' restructuring of Samuel's contract this past September could leave the club having to release the veteran with the post-June 1 designation. 49ers reporter Matt Barrows of The Athletic touched upon that matter during the podcast episode.
"There could be a team out there that wants to get ahead of a second team to get him, but Deebo Samuel's agent is going to tell that team, 'No, he doesn't want to play there,' in which case it's over. So, I think that releasing him and allowing him to kind of choose his next home is probably the way this is going to go," Barrows said about Samuel's uncertain future.
ESPN's Adam Schefter said earlier this week that every AFC North team is among the potential landing spots for Samuel. It appears he could have a little something extra to prove later this year considering what Kawakami seemingly has heard from individuals within the 49ers over the past few months.
