Getty The 49ers celebrate a touchdown on October 3, 2022 in Santa Clara.
The budding rivalry between the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers keeps escalating in intensity. The newest barb was a non-vocal one from Pro Bowl receiver Deebo Samuel who decided to hang up the phone on a national broadcaster instead of answering a question about the Eagles.
Samuel was appearing on CBS Sports Radio’s “The Zach Gelb Show” to promote something when the topic turned to last year’s NFC Championship Game. The 27-year-old was asked to elaborate on his comments from May where he hinted that the 49ers would have won the game if Brock Purdy didn’t get hurt before calling the Eagles his “most hated team.” Two months later, the outspoken star wasn’t quite in the mood to talk.
When asked if the 49ers would have won that game with a healthy quarterback, Samuel said: “I do, but we’re not gonna keep talking about that. I said what I said.” Then, Gelb stirred the pot even more by asking him to predict how Eagles fans were going to greet him at Lincoln Financial Field on December 3. Again, Samuel didn’t have too much to say: “just wait until Week 13.”
49ers WR Deebo Samuel hangs up on The @ZachGelb Show after being asked about his comments following the NFC Championship Game against the Eagles.
Full interview here: t.co/mZtvbK2sT0
This is going to be a fun situation to monitor all year. Will Reed Blankenship have a little extra juice for him when he catches a pass over the middle? Or will Brandon Graham get in his ear during the coin toss? Hopefully, it doesn’t snow in Philadelphia that day. All bets are off.
Revisiting Comments to Complex Magazine
Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane to hear what Samuel told Complex Magazine on May 4. In a far-reaching interview, the 49ers dual-threat receiver ranked the Eagles above the Rams as his “most hated team.” He explained it as such: “I mean hey man, we done wiped the Rams so many times. All the trash talk coming from the Eagles fan base and the players, you just get tired of that.”
Then, Samuel doubled down on his claim that the 49ers were a better team than the Eagles. They were “no question” the best squad in the entire NFC despite losing 31-7 in the NFC Championship Game.
“We lost because we played with 10 people,” Samuel said. “I ain’t going to keep going on about what could’ve happened and what would’ve happened but yeah, it would’ve definitely been a different outcome.”
Brandon Graham Addressed 49ers Whining
Brandon Graham brought a fresh perspective to the 49ers’ constant whining about not advancing to the Super Bowl. He has been in their shoes after dropping tough playoff games, but he’s also reached the mountaintop so it’s a tricky thing to balance. However, Graham advised them to not act bitter about losing.
“I know the 49ers are just going through it,” Graham told JAKIB Sports. “That’s not the way to handle it because you look like you’re just bitter. I know when we do lose, it hurts, but you definitely gotta control those emotions every day when you’re dealing with this job because people gonna take it and run with it.”