The hold in of Seahawks receiver DK Metalf ended two days ago, when the receiver and the team that made him a second-round draft pick in 2019 worked out a new deal. The hold in of 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel continues, with no deal yet between the receiver and the team that made him a second-round draft pick in 2019.
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan was asked for an update on Saturday.
“I know they’re grinding through it,” Shanahan told reporters. “That’s all I can share, but nothing’s been done yet, but I know they’re working hard on it.”
Given that Metcalf and Samuel are represented by the same agent (Tory Dandy of CAA), it would be easy to use the Metcalf deal as the template for Samuel. However, the 49ers may want something more than a three-year extension and a total deal of four years. Metcalf managed to get a shorter commitment than most players make.
Presumably, Samuel and the 49ers will get something done. At some point, the hold in needs to end. At some point, a player who has reported for work will be expected to do so. It’s a fairly new trend; eventually, there will be a player who refuses the team’s best offer, and the question then will be whether the player just plays under his current deal.
For now, there’s no reason to think that will be Samuel. As one source with knowledge of the dynamics recently explained it to PFT, the 49ers could manage to sign Samuel without dumping quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s $25 million compensation package, depending on how they structure Samuel’s contract and other deals. Obviously, it becomes much easier if/when they unload Garoppolo.