Many San Francisco 49ers fans were frustrated with the play of wide receiver Deebo Samuel during the 2024 season. The 28-year-old veteran struggled, but head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch still have faith in him.
Lynch was pretty definitive when asked about Samuel in he and Shanahan's post-season press conference:
John Lynch says the 49ers are keeping Deebo Samuel: "We're not in the business of letting go good football players."
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) January 8, 2025
Of course, this response from Lynch may rankle some fans who do not think Samuel is good any longer. Or they may think he is not worth the sizable contract he signed after his stellar 2021 campaign.
In 15 games during 2024, Samuel had 670 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions. He was also much worse than he has typically been when the Niners use him as a running back. He had 136 rushing yards on 42 attempts for a measly 3.2 yards per carry. For reference, in the same number of games during the 2023 season, Samuel had over 1,000 yards from scrimmage.
Niners fans are used to Deebo being a dual threat both as a receiver and a running back, but this past season makes one question whether he still has that capability.
Matters were not made any better when Samuel took to social media to say that he was not getting the ball enough. The 49ers responded in their next game against the Los Angeles Rams by trying to get Samuel the ball more, but he had a massive drop that could have been a touchdown and may have changed the complexion of the game.
To be fair to the South Carolina product, he did have a solid game the following week against the Miami Dolphins in which he had 96 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown, and 25 rushing yards. This could be a sign that he still has juice left in the tank.
Perhaps the rough 2024 for Samuel was simply the result of the Niners missing both offensive weapons Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk for most of the season. If the Niners get both of those players back and healthy next season, it stands to reason that the six-year veteran will have more opportunities to get the ball with opposing defenses having to account for those players.
Many may want San Francisco to trade Samuel, but it appears the Niners are committed to him in 2025.
If Deebo comes back next season and balls out, which he very well may do in what seems likely to be a contract year, then he can get right back into the good graces of the fanbase.