SANTA CLARA -- It might have taken a while to get here, but now all is right between Deebo Samuel and the 49ers.
The sides on Monday finalized a contract extension through the 2025 season. The deal is scheduled to pay the versatile All-Pro wide receiver more than $70 million, with a signing bonus of $24 million.
“Besides the money, I just love the game,” Samuel said Tuesday in his first Q&A session with reporters since the end of last season. “I love being out here. I love this team, coaching staff, and what we have here as an organization.”
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Those feelings did not always appear to be the case this offseason.
Samuel removed all references to the 49ers from his social media accounts early in the offseason. That was the first indication Samuel was experiencing discontent with the organization.
At some point, Samuel requested a trade. The news broke just one week before the NFL draft. But when the first round came and went, it became apparent that Samuel was going nowhere.
“At the end of the day, this is a business,” Samuel said. “What changed was the communication. The more we communicated, the more we started to figure things out.”
San Francisco 49ers
Samuel dispelled one assumption that often was repeated during the offseason months. He said he never had a problem being used in a multi-faceted role.
In the 49ers’ playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys, Samuel approached coach Kyle Shanahan and requested to have his number called on a run play after a turnover. On the next play, he took the ball 26 yards for a touchdown.
Several weeks later, at the Pro Bowl, Samuel told sideline reporter Lisa Salters that he likes the “wide back” role because he can get the football in his hands more often.
When asked Monday whether any of his issues with the 49ers stemmed from wanting fewer touches while lined up in the backfield, Samuel answered, “That’s false.”
He continued" “There were a lot of things that came out that I wanted to speak on, but at the end of the day, I wasn’t allowed to. You can turn on the tape. Go back to the Cowboys game; it kind of shows what kind of player I am. Also, you can turn on the Pro Bowl tape what I said about being a wide back. I don’t mind doing whatever it takes for this team to win.”
Samuel caught 77 passes for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns in the regular season. After injuries in the 49ers’ backfield created a void, Samuel stepped in and rushed for 365 yards and eight touchdowns.
“I’m a team-first player,” Samuel said. “I remember Kyle coming to me and, ‘Yo, Deebo, you mind running the ball a little bit this week?’ I was like, ‘You know me, at the end of the day, it’s whatever it takes.’ I’m pretty good with the ball in my hands, and he figured out ways to do it.
“We just excelled, and week by week, it just got better.”
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Samuel now has the security of a multiyear contract. He is paid among the top receivers in the league.
But there was a time around the NFL draft when it seemed like it could have gone either way.
“Do I regret requesting a trade?” Samuel said, repeating a question asked of him.
“At the end of the day, this is a business, and we came to a decision. I’m here, and I’m happy to be here, and it is what it is.”