Deebo Samuel and the 49ers would already have agreed to a new contract in a perfect world. In a less perfect world, they’d be able to sit down together before the draft and eventually work through their differences. Unfortunately, in the world we are currently living in, both sides may refuse to budge, ultimately leading to a divorce. If that happens, how hard a bargain will the 49ers drive for Deebo’s services?
We may already be seeing exactly how much the 49ers can dig in their heels with Jimmy Garoppolo. NBC’s Chris Simms brought this up on Pro Football Talk Live yesterday morning. You can hear the actual quote at 13:15 in this video.
Essentially, the 49ers have been willing to trade Jimmy Garoppolo since last March if a team was willing to pay their asking price. Despite knowing that they were going to create an incredibly awkward situation for their quarterbacks, they’d be dealing with QB questions all year long, and they were potentially sacrificing some development by Trey Lance, Kyle Shanahan, and John Lynch didn’t budge. They were willing to risk all of that because they didn’t get what they asked for, Jimmy Garoppolo.
Even after Garoppolo’s trade value was nuked by March shoulder surgery, the 49ers didn’t budge. Even after going through free agency with at least $18.5 million less than they could have had at their disposal, the 49ers didn’t budge. At the league meetings earlier this offseason, Kyle Shanahan reiterated that the team isn’t going to move off their asking price for Jimmy Garoppolo.
“We’re not just going to get rid of a good quarterback because we have other quarterbacks on the roster...Jimmy’s a good player. We’re not just getting rid of him to get rid of him.”
If they were this stubborn about a player they clearly wanted to move away from, how stubborn are they going to be about their most important weapon on offense?
What if the situation players out like this: Deebo reports to all mandatory parts of the offseason program. At some point before the season, he takes a page out of the Jalen Ramsey playbook and suffers an “injury” that keeps him off the field. Would the 49ers be willing to let weeks go by and millions go out of the bank while Deebo essentially sidelines himself?
Only they know for sure, but as long as Jed York is content to just watch from the owner’s suite, Kyle Shanahan seemingly answers to no one. We have seen him be stubborn before, and it’s entirely possible we will see it again if things get really bad with Deebo Samuel.
To make sure you’re up to date on everything happening with the 49ers, make sure you download the 49ers in Five podcast every weekday morning. You’ll hear everything you need to know in less time than it takes to drink your morning coffee. Available everywhere podcasts are found.
Loading comments...