Getty Deebo Samuel runs the ball during the NFC wildcard contest at Dallas on January 16, 2022.
A former fierce rival of the San Francisco 49ers has taken the side of Deebo Samuel.
Michael Irvin, who helped elevate the Dallas Cowboys to two NFC titles by beating the 49ers by margins of 10 and 17 points in the 1992 and 1993 season conference title games, respectively, became the latest to sound off on the ongoing saga between the 49ers’ All-Pro and his contract negotiation talks in his appearance on the Monday, April 11 edition of the Damon and Ratto Show on 95.7 FM The Game.
In the past week, many have began to believe that there are tensions between Samuel and the 49ers during this free agency period — with Samuel pulling down 49ers themed posts on his Instagram account (only one 49ers related picture remains up on his IG page, which is below).
Irvin delivered a strong take on the situation, which included sharing a conversation he had with Samuel himself.
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Samuel ‘You Don’t Let go’
Irvin has recognized the value Samuel brings to the 49ers offense…let alone the tone setting impact regardless if Samuel is taking handoffs or running routes.
“He sets the tone. He sets the tone for that team,” Irvin said to the radio hosts. “You can talk about physical skill sets. We could talk about how well you run, how high you jump – when you find the dude that sets the tone for your team – you do not let him go. And that’s what Deebo does for the San Francisco 49ers.”
Then came this guarantee from Irvin.
“I guarantee you you’ll be a different football team without him,” Irvin said.
‘I Hope They Don’t Make the Same Mistake’
Irvin himself has seen the market inflate for NFL wide receivers. After all, Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill were given record-shattering deals during the month of March.
“The new number is $30 million,” Irvin said regarding the magic number now for wideouts. “That’s just what it is. But then it jumps after that.”
There’s the rumbling from both Tony Pauline of the Pro Football Network and David Lombardi of The Athletic that Samuel is seeking $25 million annually from the 49ers.
The only truly useful and relevant piece of social media info so far: The fact that Deebo Samuel’s friend posted “If it ain’t 25M a year we don’t want it!!” and Samuel endorsed that post.
An APY demand is the only public parameter we have. I discuss:
Irvin then brought up a costly mistake that involved his former team and one prominent wide receiver who recently left Dallas: Amari Cooper.
“I hope they don’t make the same mistake Jerry Jones made. And I know my opinion of it has changed, but when they got Amari Cooper at $20 million, then you jump back in and the new number is $30 million. So Amari Cooper at $20 million seemed like a hell of a deal,” Irvin said.
Irvin had Private Conversation With Samuel Himself
Turns out Irvin and Samuel held a chat before — following a playoff game as Irvin detailed.
That’s when the three-time Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Famer gave this suggestion to Samuel.
“I love this dude man. I even said to him, ‘get all you can, man. But I think it would be best for you to stay in San Francisco. To stay with Kyle Shanahan,’” Irvin said.
What was Samuel’s response that Irvin recalled?
“And he looked at me like, ‘are you telling me this?’ Like I kind of felt he didn’t receive that well,” Irvin said. “So maybe they had some preliminary talks.”
Still, Irvin believes that Samuel plays an integral part in what the 49ers do. And “The Playmaker” boasted that he would tell the 49ers himself inside the locker room if need be.
“I say this on the San Francisco side: You let me walk in any damn locker room and you give me 13 minutes and I’ll tell you which player that team cannot do without. The player that has to be on that team. And when I watch San Francisco, Deebo is that guy,” Irvin said.