San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel made a bold fashion choice upon his entrance to the stadium of the Washington Commanders prior to Sunday's contest.
With a game against a bottom-tier opponent ahead of him, Samuel chose to use his bodily platform to advocate for a teammate who's gotten a rough shake in the wake of last week's marquee game against Baltimore.
Dressed in his Sunday vest 🔥@19problemz x #SFvsWAS pic.twitter.com/lfWSuYX3aV
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 31, 2023
49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel wears Brock Purdy MVP vest
Samuel has been vocal in defending Brock Purdy from criticism. After Purdy's rough game against the Ravens on Christmas, No. 19 came to his quarterback's defense on social media and clapped back at Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys and former NFL star Cam Newton.
Newton criticized Purdy for being a "game manager," which Samuel felt was a slight on his quarterback, and he made sure to let other know what he thought about those comments.
"Cam Newton, stop texting my phone bro."
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) December 27, 2023
Deebo DID NOT hold back on @CameronNewton and @MicahhParsons11 😯@19problemz @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/mfNK29xCf4
Samuel obviously still has his quarterback's back by wearing the elaborate vest with Purdy's number and with smaller "MVP's" written on the vest along with flowers.
A fun little easter egg is that fullback Kyle Juszczyk's wife, Kristin, reportedly designed the vest for Samuel.
This is absolutely amazing. Deebo Samuel’s showing up to the game in a Brock Purdy custom vest that has “MVP” on it.
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) December 31, 2023
Even better: Kyle Juszczyk’s wife, Kristin, who’s supremely talented made this for Deebo: pic.twitter.com/9GhHlyn06C
It is great to see Samuel coming to Purdy's defense like this. Many were quick to criticize Purdy after that tough outing against the Ravens in which he threw four interceptions. But the fact that Samuel and, presumably, the rest of the team still believes in Purdy speaks volumes. This is due to his stellar play for most of the year, and because of the maturity and leadership he has displayed ever since taking over as the starting quarterback for the 49ers last year.
Purdy's MVP odds may have taken a hit after last week's game, but it is still possible that he could win the honor of MVP if he finishes the season on a high note in these last two games.
Niners fans can only hope that Samuel's bold defense of his quarterback, both with his words and his apparel, will inspire Purdy to have a massive, MVP-like game against the Washington Commanders Sunday.