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George Kittle Shares How 49ers Should Have Handled Deebo Samuel Situation

The 49ers tight end thinks a deal could have been done sooner.

Daniel Chavkin

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Deebo Samuel’s contract situation with the 49ers remains unsettled with the team, but that doesn’t seem to be bothering his teammates. In fact one of his top teammates thinks the situation should’ve been settled earlier.

George Kittle believes the team should’ve signed Samuel last year before the wide receiver market exploded.

“In hindsight, I would've paid Deebo three-quarters of the way through the season, try to do a contract in-season,” he said on the Bussin with the Boys podcast. “Probably would've been cheaper. Christian Kirk really set the market off.”

Kirk signed a four-year, $84 million deal with the Jaguars in the offseason, which led to an explosion in the market. Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs are all wide receivers who got bigger contracts after Kirk signed his deal.

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Additionally, Kittle is fully behind Samuel’s pursuit of a new contract.

“It’s the NFL, go get what you deserve dude,” he said. “Deebo deserves to get paid a lot of money, and if they don’t want to give you a lot of money, do what you need to do.”

The tight end agrees that, in order for Samuel to get what he wants, he will have to do something uncomfortable to get the team’s attention.

“You’ve got to be incredibly selfish,” he said. “Going through contract negotiations is incredibly difficult. I try my hardest not to be selfish ever, so when you have to be selfish in that moment, it’s really hard for a lot of guys.”

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Daniel Chavkin
DANIEL CHAVKIN

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