The 49ers have a problem with receiver Deebo Samuel. They know it. We know it.
They know, and we now know, that the man who calls the shots hasn’t had a phone call with Deebo since he went public with his request for a trade.
Speaking to reporters on Friday night, Shanahan said, “I haven’t talked to Deebo for a couple weeks.”
Shanahan wasn’t asked the next question. Why not? It’s possible he has tried, and that Deebo won’t answer the phone. That would be significant, if Deebo is consistently ducking his head coach.
Shanahan nevertheless expressed optimism that things will work out. He offered no specifics other than, “Just because I think we can.”
“You can work out anything,” Shanahan added.
He’s right, but the problem is that the problem happened. There was nothing to work out, and now there is. The 49ers presumably said or did something -- or failed to say or do something -- that contributed to Deebo not just being upset but deciding that he wants out.
“Hopefully, when this thing is all said and done we’ll get the best thing for the Niners, the best thing foe Deebo, hopefully that is the same thing,” Shanahan said. “Hopefully, it’ll settle down now after this draft.”
Although Shanahan declined to get into the reasons for Deebo wanting out, Shanahan later said something that may have been an inadvertent blurting out of the truth. He used the phrase “especially in contract situations,” which suggests that the problem is -- or at least the 49ers think the problem is -- Samuel’s contract.
If that’s true, it can be fixed if they offer him enough to change his mind. Of course, if it is a contract situation, his anger undoubtedly flowed from an offer that he thought was so low that it was insulting. Whatever and however and whenever, something needs to happen to get Deebo in the proper mindset to let bygones be bygones and to not longer want to be gone.