Deebo Samuel officially starts ‘hold-in’ during 49ers training camp

While the 49ers are relieved to see Deebo Samuel at training camp, the All-Pro won’t participate in team drills until he gets his new contract.

All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel seemed to indicate his relationship with the San Francisco 49ers was improved from the tenuous point it was earlier this offseason by showing up at mandatory minicamp earlier this summer.

Perhaps that was to avoid possible fines the Niners could have levied against him, had he stayed away in the wake of offseason trade requests and amid contract-extension negotiations. Yet it also could have been a good-faith move, too.

Samuel could have been fined if he skipped training camp — players expected to report on July 26 — a total of $40,000 per day for players still on rookie contracts.

Yet Samuel did show up, indicating another step towards a fully reconciled relationship.

However, there’s still a long way to go here.

Deebo Samuel is present but won’t practice until a new contract is reached

One of the workarounds to avoid the hefty fines associated with skipping training camp is to show up, physically, but not actually partake in any sort of team drills and practices. This isn’t unlike what Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro EDGE T.J. Watt did a year ago at this time, attending camp but not practicing until he eventually received a massive four-year, $112 million deal.

With San Francisco kicking off practices on Wednesday, it appears as if this is the route Samuel will take.

According to multiple reports, including the one above from The Athletic’s David Lombardi, Samuel will be present but won’t actually practice with the team. Instead, Samuel will conduct his own physical workouts on the sidelines while the two parties are hard at work trying to put together a new deal.

These developments can move quickly, though, so whatever standoff that existed only weeks ago could quickly turn into an agreed-upon contract in a matter of days.

On Aug. 1, the 49ers will begin padded practices, and it’s likely they’ll want to have Samuel in uniform and participating at that point.

So, at least from that vantage point, it wouldn’t be shocking whatsoever to see some sort of deal done with the All-Pro wideout.