It seems unlikely that the 49ers get a deal completed with Deebo Samuel before players are scheduled to report to training camp Tuesday. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan expects the All-Pro receiver to report.
Shanahan also expects that Samuel’s contract dispute with the team is “going to take care of itself.”
“The days of holding out and stuff are a little bit different now because players, regardless of what the team decides later, always have to pay [the fines] back,” Shanahan told Tim Kawakami of TheAthletic.com, via 49erswebzone.com. “Now, those fines can’t get paid back [because of the new CBA].
“What I do know is: I’m not worried about it not getting done. I feel very confident that Deebo’s going to be on our team this year, and he’s going to be for many years after. I do believe he’ll get a deal. I know that they’re working on it right now.”
Shanahan said General Manager John Lynch and the team’s front office has spent the past couple of weeks negotiating with Samuel’s agent, Tory Dandy, on a deal.
Samuel became eligible for an extension after the 2021 season, and the lack of progress in negotiations with the 49ers this offseason prompted him to ask for a trade. He has outplayed the $3.986 million in base salary he is due in 2022, the final season of his rookie contract.
“I think every player in the league is underpaid,” Shanahan said. “I think this league makes a lot of money, and these players go through a lot of stuff, so like you always look at it that way. But when you become a head coach or a General Manager and stuff like that, you do get to see the other side, and your job is to put the best football team together possible, and so you work with these players and your goal is to get them paid, [but you] got to balance all that stuff together so you have a chance to win.”
Samuel had 1,770 all-purpose yards and 14 total touchdowns in earning All-Pro honors last season, and he added a passing touchdown.