49ers legend Jerry Rice torches Deebo Samuel over dropped catch against Rams on TNF
Deebo Samuel has been one of the biggest disappointments in the San Francisco 49ers season, and there have been plenty. The veteran wide receiver, who has one of the biggest contracts on the team, is playing below his standards, while also creating off-field distractions.
On Thursday, the 49ers played the Los Angeles Rams in heavy rain, and a win was critical to keep their playoff hopes alive. Apart from the 12-6 loss, Samuel had a huge drop where he could have scored a touchdown. Afterward, fans were calling him out on Twitter, but a franchise legend also chimed in on the matter: former wide receiver Jerry Rice.
And he did not mince words on Deebo:
"I don't know what is going on, because the weirdest thing is I think he had like three catches for 16 yards. I would have been pissed at myself, I would have been pissed at the whole scenario, and I would pretty much go to work on the football field, at practice. And if you do it during practice, you're going to be able to do it during the game. "That ball that he dropped, after you complain about not getting that many touches, you cannot drop the football. Because everybody is going to get down on you and they're going to come after you. I never said anything about not getting touches or anything like that. I just worked, man. I just kept working".
What did Deebo Samuel tweet? Why are 49ers fans calling him out?
After the 49ers' game against the Chicago Bears, where Kyle Shanahan's team won 38-13, the wide receiver went to Twitter and made a since-deleted tweet saying "Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!", which has not gone well between fans and some members of the team. He had opportunities on Thursday.
Samuel finished the Bears game with two catches for 22 yards and the Rams game with three catches for 16 yards. On the season, he has just 569 receiving yards, 95 rushing yards and two total touchdowns. For a wide receiver with a contract of $24 million on average per year, that's not nearly enough.