49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo made the media rounds on Thursday, one day after 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel asked to be traded.
Appearing with Adam Schein on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio, Garoppolo addressed Samuel’s situation.
“I don’t really like to get into other guy’s contracts, but just speaking on Deebo and who he is as a player, as a person,” Garoppolo said. “I mean, the dude is unreal. And one way or another, he’s gonna get his money that he deserves and he earned. . . . I’ve been with him since he was a rookie. The dude -- he’s changed so much as a player. He’s grown as a person, just leading guys on the field. Taking these young receivers under his wing. It’s things like that that you can’t -- I mean, how do you quantify that? You know, it’s tough. But it’s all those little things. And, I don’t know, whenever someone’s a good person like that, does the right thing, and I think things will work out for him, one way or another.”
Garoppolo’s answer implies that Samuel’s contract has become part of the concern. Regardless of the reason(s), the potential loss of Samuel should be a huge concern for the 49ers.
“He steps up in the big moments,” Garoppolo said of Samuel. “The moment’s never too big for him. . . . Anytime that it was crunch time in a game, man, there was a lot of plays going to Deebo. The dude was getting the rock in his hands, and whether it was a run or a pass, just get the ball in his hands and he’s gonna do something with it.”
Amen to that. Once the 49ers figured that out last year, Samuel became the centerpiece of the offense. Wherever he plays, that’s surely what Samuel will be in 2022 and beyond.
