Deebo Samuel Unfollows 49ers on Intagram and Removes all 49ers' Related Pictures
Make of this what you will.
All Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who's in the middle of a contract-extension negotiation with the 49ers, removed his profile picture in which he was wearing a 49ers uniform, removed all 49ers-related pictures from his account and unfollowed the team.
As you might recall, quarterback Kyler Murray did the same thing on social media to the Arizona Cardinals this offseason, and he's in the middle of the contract-extension negotiation that has become contentious.
Perhaps the 49ers' negotiation with Samuel has become contentious as well.
Of course, it's possible Samuel is trolling people to get a rise out of them when he knows he's the subject of intense scrutiny. Failing that, it seems like Samuel probably is frustrated with the 49ers, and that's natural during negotiations. This could all work out for Samuel and the 49ers before training camp.
But this drama is reminiscent of the one two years ago with DeForest Buckner. Remember, John Lynch said Buckner would be on the 49ers for a long time, then traded him for the 13th pick in the draft. The 49ers clearly didn't want to make Buckner one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in the NFL and pay him more than $20 million per season.
Do the 49ers want to make Samuel one of the highest paid wide receivers in the NFL and pay him more than $27 million per season? Did they budget for that, or did they expect to give him much less season before the wide-receiver market exploded?
I guess we'll find out.
Keep an eye on Samuel's Instagram.