Why Rapoport believes Deebo, 49ers will get contract settled

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The number of people who truly know what’s going on with Deebo Samuel can probably be counted on one hand, but people will still speculate regardless. 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport believes Samuel and the San Francisco 49ers will work things out, and wherever things went wrong, they will get past it. 

“I would say I think they can get it settled,” Rapoport said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I don’t believe it is settled right now. And there's a lot of work that has to be done. When a player asks for a trade, basically says he does not want to be there and it has nothing to do with the contract -- because remember, he basically told them, ‘Don't offer me a contract. I'm not going to take it. I want to be traded.’"

“There's some work that has to get done. [49ers head coach] Kyle Shanahan is very charismatic and also very good at making sure football players are good at their jobs, right? He's a great play designer, and he has helped Deebo Samuel become the dynamic weapon he has been, so I think they could get it worked out, but they are not there yet.”

Samuel requested a trade last month and the potential reasons for doing so are endless. Money. Usage. Location. It’s still all up in the air. 

Rapoport believes the situation is more about than just contracts. 

San Francisco drafted running back Tyrion Davis-Price with its second pick (No. 93) in the 2022 NFL Draft, and Rapoport thinks the selection was significant as far as relieving some of the running back responsibilities from Samuel. 

But McAfee asked Rapoport a question on the show that has probably crossed everyone’s mind amid this chaos. 

“He wouldn't mind being running back if they would just pay him for it as well. Right?” McAfee asked.

“I don't think so,” Rapoport responded. “I think it's more career longevity like and, you know, running backs, it hurts. You get injured all the time. You have short careers … you see the contracts of running backs, it’s different. As a receiver, those guys are getting paid like nothing we've ever seen and you can play into your 30s as a receiver.” 

Samuel didn’t participate in the 49ers’ organized team activities on Monday, which didn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone. 

However, Shanahan told reporters Tuesday he expects the wide receiver to report to the mandatory three-day minicamp next month. 

But Rapoport isn’t as confident as Shanahan that Samuel will make an appearance. 

RELATED: Shanahan still expects 49ers to trade Jimmy G before season

“That one I do not know,” Rapoport said. “You know, you can do a couple of different ways. You can do this hold in, you can do the hamstring pull back, the migraines, or you can make a bigger statement and say, ‘I'm not going to show up, fine me.’ And then you know usually if you get a contract, they kind of erase the fines and that is a possibility. If he's there for minicamp, then there's probably a good chance the team will pull him aside and try to talk to him and try to work this out in person. So I think if he's there, this could go a long way to fixing this, but I don't know for sure if he's going to be there.”

Samuel has become one of the most unique offensive threats the league has ever seen, and while some, including Shanahan, remain hopeful that he will stay with the 49ers, anything can happen. 

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