49ers WR Deebo Samuel Opens up About his "Awful" 2022 Season

2022 was a steep drop-off for Deebo Samuel compared to 2021.

He went from an All Pro and literal definition of a cheat code, to a player who was useful only as a decoy. That was his main impact on the 49ers last season as the main workhorse of the offense shifted to Christian McCaffrey. The plays that freed up open lanes for Samuel to shoot out of a cannon were deciphered better by defenses. Samuel was no longer an incredibly lethal weapon in 2022, which is something he was critical about himself when he spoke at his press conference on Tuesday.

"It was awful -- in every aspect," said Samuel on his 2022 season. "Me and Kyle had a long meeting the other day. We watched tape, we talked about it, we put it behind us and just going through the tape and just look how sluggish and how bad it looked on tape. Like I said, just reflecting on last offseason it kind of played a big role in that. I'll never put nothing like that back on tape again."

Replicating the impact that Samuel made in 2021 into 2022 was never going to happen. What he did in 2021 was one for the books. It was a legendary season for him in which he eclipsed 1,000 receiving by midseason, then became a walking touchdown out of the backfield in the second half of the season.

Samuel earned both All Pro and Pro Bowl honors that season as he single-handedly carried the 49ers offense to prominence. He just was never going to replicate that. However, he fell massively short of being in the same ballpark of his 2021 version in 2022. A lot of that had to do with his contract negotiations in the offseason.

"I was kind of behind the eight ball a little bit. Being in my routine I normally be in as far as the offseason getting ready to play because, like I said, a lot of distractions was going on. Yea, I kind of felt it, but I was trying to will my way to help the team in every aspect possible."

Really, it was Samuel's own doing for being impatient and getting in his own head with his contract. The 49ers have always taken care of their guys who are cornerstone players, which is what Samuel is to them. Yet, he could not wait for his money and wanted to leap frog his predecessors who had to wait until the last minute for their extension. It is why Samuel made a fit with the whole trade request he made to Jeff Darlington of ESPN last year.

This year, things should be different. He does not have the distractions as he once had and can simply focus on the work. The offseason is back to normal for him and the last time he had a normal one, he broke out for a phenomenal season in 2021. I wouldn't expect that version of Samuel to return, but I think it is a pretty good chance that more glimpses and stretches of that Samuel will be showcased this season.

"Last offseason, really a lot of stuff was going on. Not putting myself in a position that I was last year for us , not really working hard, but the main focus this year is just to get back to the summer and what I did in 2021."