Multiple reports say 49ers haven’t offered Deebo Samuel a contract

Just when you thought things couldn’t get weirder between the 49ers and Deebo Samuel, multiple reports are flowing in that a contract hasn’t even been offered.

Sit back, San Francisco 49ers fans. The 2022 NFL offseason is proving to be yet another wild ride.

A year ago, the Niners’ then-unknown target for the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft was the talk of league circles. This year, it’s All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel‘s contract talks and trade request that have garnered all the headlines leading up to draft day.

That’ll create some uncertainty between now and Round 1, as Samuel could inevitably be used as a trade chip for a first-round pick if San Francisco ultimately decides to honor his request.

Money seems to be at the root of this apparently heated standoff between the two parties. But after some reports suggested Samuel wanted out not because of contracts, though, it was only inevitable for other reasons to surface?

But, what if the 49ers haven’t even offered Samuel a contract at all yet?

Damon Bruce reported 49ers hadn’t offered Deebo Samuel a contract first

It wouldn’t have been surprising if the Niners made an initial offer to Samuel, only for him to completely laugh off the deal and then request a trade if it was a lowball offer.

According to 95.7 The Game’s Damon Bruce, though, San Francisco hasn’t even made it to that step:

“As the Niners say, they’re willing to pay a price,” Bruce reported. “They have yet to tell Deebo Samuel what that price is. I am reporting to you [that] sources close to the negotiation say that the Niners have yet to even make an opening offer.”

Bruce and fellow 95.7 show host Ray Ratto agreed it would be disastrous and disrespectful for San Francisco to have this kind of approach with one of its top players and best offensive weapon.

But the story gets even weirder.

Ian Rapoport corroborates story on 49ers not offering Deebo Samuel a contract, says Samuel told Niners ‘don’t make an offer’

As news of this all grew, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport joined The Pat McAfee Show to back up what Bruce said, reporting additionally that the 49ers haven’t offered Samuel an extension yet.

Only in this case, the report included Samuel going on the offensive, telling the Niners not to bother making him an offer in the first place:

“I would say that is correct that Deebo Samuel has not received an offer from the 49ers,” Rapoport said. “From my understanding, he basically told them, ‘I want to be traded. Don’t make an offer.'”

Read More: Jimmy Garoppolo open to being traded with Deebo Samuel

Wow.

Again, there are still plenty of other factors at play here, and the reports coming in certainly can’t tell the entire picture. Samuel’s camp hasn’t publicly said one way or another what his intentions truly are, and the Niners have been quiet about developments, too.

However, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are expected to speak with the media at noon PT on Monday, and that’ll surely be something to watch as this situation continues to devolve.