Does Cooper Kupp’s deal make Deebo Samuel more expensive?

Cooper Kupp just enjoyed one of the best seasons a wide receiver has ever had, and yesterday he got paid like it. Now that Kupp has added his name to the long list of wide receivers that have gotten raises this offseason, will that affect Deebo Samuel’s future deal with the 49ers?

It’s hard to blame Deebo Samuel for wanting a new contract when you look at how many others at his position have gotten new deals this year.

Now that Kupp is getting $22 million per year, does that affect what Deebo Samuel will ask for? On today’s Gold Standard podcast, Levin Black and I dove into that question:

“I don’t think Deebo’s demands go up at all,” Levin said, “I just think he has a stronger footing to dig in and not budge. This hurts the 49ers but it doesn’t change what the ultimate contract would have been. I think the ultimate contract is going to be right around AJ Brown, but barely one-up him, and I think that’s what it should be.

I don’t think this changes that, because Deebo has no justification for going to the table and saying, ‘You need to pay me what Cooper Kupp got.’ Cooper Kupp is coming off arguably the best season ever for a wide receiver, so he can’t argue, ‘Pay me what Cooper Kupp got.’ But Cooper Kupp didn’t get a ton more than AJ Brown in terms of average per year...I feel like it just gives Deebo a stronger footing to say, ‘See, I’ve been right the whole time, stop wasting our time and let’s get this done.’”

Here’s a look at big money wide receiver deals this season, excluding some funny money at the end of the contracts designed to inflate the average per year.

One other possibility we raised during the show is that Deebo’s contract is largely worked out. Still, Samuel can’t officially sign it until Jimmy Garoppolo’s salary comes off the books, either by trade or release. That could help explain some of the thawings we’ve seen recently between Deebo and the 49ers. And, yes, while it is possible to structure a deal that keeps Deebo’s cap hit relatively stable in 2022, that doesn’t necessarily mean either side wants to do it that way. Without more information, it’s impossible to know one way or the other.

Can’t we just make this thing $21 million over five years and call it a day?

Other topics in today’s show

• Cooper Kupp gets the bag... does that affect Deebo’s deal? (4:04)
• Is Jimmy Garoppolo still being on the team holding up Deebo’s deal? (9:36)
• Nick Bosa’s hilarious response when asked about his contract (13:09)
• An encouraging comment about Drake Jackson (19:06)
• Why Stats is totally on board with young 49ers getting mentored (22:40)
• The Trey Lance narrative has completely flipped (24:48)
• Where Rob worries about Trey’s throwing motion (27:11)
• Trent Williams thinks Aaron Banks is ready for a big jump (35:05)
• One Trey Lance take that must be retired by people (40:41)
• A bold prediction about Sean McVay’s Rams tenure (42:16)