Deebo Samuel sends message to 49ers fans following NFC title game loss
San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel took to Instagram following his team’s 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams to let his fanbase know that this was only the beginning.
“Came up short… we definitely will be [back]… real brotherhood… love y’all boys faithful,” Samuel wrote.
Samuel was seen visibly emotional after the loss Sunday night. Rams receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was seen consoling Samuel, who remained sitting on the beach for several minutes following the game’s conclusion.
The South Carolina product left it all out on the field this postseason finishing with 10 receptions (14 targets) for 154 yards and one touchdown. He also carried the ball 27 times for 137 yards and another score.
He finished Sunday’s loss with 98 all-purpose yards, including a 44-yard reception the went the distance in the second quarter. In three postseason games (all-purpose), he had 37 touches for 291 yards and two touchdowns from scrimmage and four kickoff returns for 85 yards.
Samuel finished the 2021 regular season with 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns while also taking 59 carries for 365 yards and eight more touchdowns as well as three kickoff returns for at least 75 yards.
On the other side of the ball, Beckham had 113 receiving yards on nine catches, including a critical 29-yard reception in the fourth quarter, a play that eventually set up a crucial game-tying field goal.
With the loss, Samuel’s third season in the league comes to a close, which means he’s eligible to negotiate a contract extension to his rookie deal with the 49ers front office. He is set to make $3.98 million in 2022 (the final year of his rookie deal), which would count $4.940 million against the salary cap.
“That is not my call. That is out of my hands,” Samuel said, via multiple reports Monday when asked about whether or not he would restructure his contract heading into 2022.
Whether or not the budding superstar decides to stay in San Francisco long term, he will at least be back for 2022. With the impending departure of quarterback Jimmy Goroppolo and the emergence of rookie Trey Lance, a new era is begging in the Niners organization following their conference championship loss.
The question will be, is Samuel going to be a part of it? Taking the Instagram post into consideration, it seems like he’s all in on the 49ers plans for success in the near future.