"This is a big deal" - NFL analyst believes Deebo Samuel scrubbing Instagram is sending a major message to 49ers
Deebo Samuel scrubbed his social media accounts of anything referencing the San Francisco 49ers as a message to the team to pay him his worth.
Some aren't taking it seriously since several players have done the same thing recently, but Dante Hall of Good Morning Football believes it to be quite a big deal.
Around the 2:20 mark of the clip above, Hall jumps in with his thoughts on Deebo Samuel's recent actions on his Instagram page, which clearly sends a message to his team. Hall stated:
"This is a big deal that he scrubbed his Instagram account. When these guys...do something on social media, that's sending a message. This message to the 49ers is, 'Hey, Christian Kirk got paid. Davante got paid...Stefon Diggs just got paid. I want to get paid."
Tyreek Hill posted a cryptic message on his social media account thanking Kansas City Chiefs fans just a week prior to him getting traded to the Miami Dolphins over a contract dispute.
Kyler Murray recently scrubbed all of his social media pages of the Arizona Cardinals as he is also trying to negotiate a new deal. The only difference is that Deebo Samuel has kept his profile pic as a photo of him in a 49ers uniform.
However, the 49ers are not a team known to pay their stars quickly.
They tend to play the waiting game and re-sign them once the season has already started. Hall argued that this strategy won't turn out well with Samuel, who is watching guys around the league being awarded huge contracts. Hall said:
"The process for the 49ers has always been to wait, you'll get paid late in the offseason. If I'm Deebo Samuel,. watching all these guys get paid historical amounts, I'm like, 'I want my money now.'"
Samuel has emerged as a versatile weapon for San Francisco's offense. Samuel caught 77 passes for 1,405 yards (18.2 yards per catch) for six touchdowns and then ran for 365 yards with eight touchdowns.
But the issue between the 49ers and Deebo Samuel is the contract dispute. He's entering the final year of his rookie deal and has watched the likes of Christian Kirk, Stefon Diggs, and Davante Adams sign for record-setting amounts.
The 49ers have Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel as their next superstars in line for a hefty extension. With Jimmy Garoppolo's contract still on the books, Samuel may have to wait in line. But will the hybrid star be willing to wait until September?
Landing spots for Deebo Samuel if San Francisco 49ers trade him instead of paying him
Deebo Samuel might force the 49ers' hand to trade him. If the team decides to trade him for some value in return, there are a handful of teams that will be in the running.
The Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Atlanta Falcons have been named as early frontrunners for him. Green Bay would be nice, but their current salary issue eliminates them from being able to sign him long-term.
The Falcons are an interesting destination, as they already have a player similar to Samuel in their offense in Cordarrelle Patterson. They just need to find a quarterback to pair with him.