In today’s era of NFL football, players are now resorting to new measures to let their franchises know they’re not happy with their current contract situation. Social media is the growing weapon of choice.
The latest move has been to wipe their social media accounts of any pics of their current team. San Francisco’s dynamic wide receiver Deebo Samuel saw all of these exorbitant contracts being awarded to wide receivers this offseason and decided he wanted to strike while the market is hot too.
Samuel wiped all but one picture from his Instagram account which was once littered with 49ers pictures. He even has a blank profile picture which was once him in his Niners gear. The stud do-it-all playmaker also unfollowed the team. He once had 248 posts on his Instagram; he reportedly wiped 84 away, taking it down to 164.
Deebo Samuel has removed his #49ers profile picture, unfollowed the team, and has deleted over 80 posts (was at 248, now at 164) from his Instagram account.
Deebo is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Could mean something. Could be trolling. But it happened. pic.twitter.com/0KXDbBw3dU
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 7, 2022
NFL analyst Dante Hall had this to say Friday on “Good Morning Football.”
“This is a big deal that he scrubbed his Instagram account,” Hall said. “When these guys … do something on social media that’s sending a message. This message to the 49ers is, hey Christian Kirk got paid. Davante Adams got paid. Stefon Diggs got paid. I want to get paid.”
While the Niners are traditionally slow with how they handle contracts, the team has been especially focused on trying to trade QB Jimmy Garoppolo, but to no avail. Trading Jimmy G could be an important part of getting a deal done for Samuel, but either way, it’s in their best interest to satisfy their star offensive player.
“The process for the 49ers has always been to wait, you’ll get paid later in the offseason,” said Hall. “If I’m Deebo Samuel, watching all these guys get paid historical amounts, I’m like, I want my money now.”
Deebo Deserves New Deal: Best And Most Important Niners Offensive Weapon
Samuel is built like and plays with the mentality of a running back, but he still possesses homerun ability with his 4.4 speed. The burly offensive threat starred at South Carolina where he showed flashes of his dual-threat abilities. Putting a coach like Kyle Shanahan with a player like Deebo seemed like a match made in football heaven.
And the union hasn’t disappointed one bit, as Samuel has been the most used and vital piece of the Niners scheme the last two seasons.
The 2019 second-round pick has exceeded expectations already. In 2021, Samuel finished with 1,770 yards from scrimmage, which ranked third in the entire NFL. His 1,405 receiving yards was good for fifth in the league. He also became the first wide receiver in NFL history with at least 1,300 receiving yards and 300 rushing yards in a season.
Pay Deebo Samuel 🗣 pic.twitter.com/tn0p27objd
— PFF (@PFF) April 7, 2022
Samuel also broke former Colts wideout Lenny Moore’s record for rushing touchdowns by a receiver (8), a record that stood 60 years. In fact, six of Samuel’s rushing TDS were from 10 or more yards out.
As far as receiving numbers, ranking fifth in a league of dynamic pass catchers is no small feat. But as we delve a little deeper into his year catching the football you’ll see much more. Samuel’s 18.2 yards per catch was tops in the league. He accounted for 23 explosive plays (plays of at least 20 yards).
Deebo Samuel had a season for the ages
💰 1,559 receiving yards
💰 7 receiving TDs
💰 502 rushing yards
💰 9 rushing TDsPAY HIM 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/SAQWAAvoYB
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) April 8, 2022
Other Stars Have Done That Lately As Well: It Seemed To Work
Samuel saw Chiefs wideout Tyreek Hill post cryptic messages all over social media, only to be traded the next week. The trade allowed him to become the league’s highest-paid wideout.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray did the same thing by scrubbing his social media of anything Cards and unfollowing his own team. After blowback from the move, Murray had his agent send a letter to the team, telling them how much he wanted to stay in Arizona forever. Things seem to be okay in “The Valley of the Sun” as of now.
But for Samuel, seeing Hill, Adams and Diggs get paid shouldn’t bother him as all three are Top-5 guys. The contract that should have him scratching his helmet is the aforementioned Kirk getting a 4-year/$72 million deal from the Jaguars. Kirk has never had a 1,000-yard season, nor has he been more than a third receiving option.
Pay Deebo Samuel 🗣 pic.twitter.com/tn0p27objd
— PFF (@PFF) April 7, 2022
The Niners have SB aspirations with a great coaching staff, led by Kyle Shanahan and rising defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. But those aspirations quickly become pretty bleak without a healthy and happy Deebo Samuel, who is the centerpiece of the 49ers offense.
