Will the 49ers Force Deebo Samuel to Play Out the Final Season of his Rookie Contract?

Most NFL insiders expect the 49ers to extend Deebo Samuel's contract within the next two weeks before training camp begins.

But to extend Samuel's contract, the 49ers most likely will have to trade or release Jimmy Garoppolo to create the necessary cap space. And there's no guarantee the 49ers will find a trade partner for Garoppolo in the next two weeks, or ever for that matter. And they repeatedly have said they will not release him.

Is it possible the 49ers intend to force Samuel to play out the final season of his rookie deal before they extend him?

It certainly is possible the 49ers will keep Garoppolo until the trade deadline midseason or even until the end of the year, which the 49ers could use that as an excuse for not extending Samuel. Sorry, no cap space. Nothing personal.

But maybe it is personal. Maybe the 49ers feel Samuel hasn't yet earned all the money he wants, and perhaps that's why he's so angry. Perhaps the 49ers would rather have have him mad and motivated for one more year than happy and content.

It's possible the 49ers would like to see Samuel show he can repeat his All Pro season from last year, that it wasn't a one-off, that he won't gain weight, suffer injuries and miss time as he did in 2020.

If the 49ers want to see more from Samuel, they could lowball him this year. And then if he remains elite, they could franchise tag him next year and then offer him a multi-year extension that would pay him more than his wildest dreams. This option would cost the 49ers more money, but also would give them more evidence before they make a giant decision about a key player.

We'll find out soon enough what the 49ers choose to do.