5 bold predictions for 49ers 2022 offseason

49ers bold prediction No. 2: Deebo Samuel becomes top-5 paid wide receiver

Moving Jimmy Garoppolo will free up over $20 million in cap space in 2022, and that’ll be money needed for San Francisco to extend some of its marquee players.

Such as wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who’ll enter the final year of his rookie contract this season and will be looking for a lucrative payout after finishing third in the NFL in all-purpose yards last year with 1,770 and earning his first Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro accolades.

Samuel might not have quite the resume as the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver, the Arizona Cardinals’ DeAndre Hopkins, just yet ($27.25 million APY). But it’s getting close, and the various ways the 49ers use Samuel will increase his value, too.

Spotrac predicts Samuel would be worth a new five-year deal worth over $90 million, averaging out to $18.1 million, annually.

But the Niners do have a history of rewarding their top players, and going with a new extension of $20 million APY would make a lot more sense here, and it would put Samuel into the category of being a top-five wide receiver in the league in terms of annual value.

Well deserved.