Deebo Samuel

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is displaying a new sense of swagger in the eyes of teammate Deebo Samuel.

"From year one to now, his confidence level is through the roof," Samuel said, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "He walks in, he walks out every day like 'Nobody can guard me.' You walk around with that type of attitude and you take it out there to the field, it can only translate. He took his game to another level."

Aiyuk took a big step forward in 2022, setting career highs in the three major receiving categories (78 receptions, 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns). He finished ahead of Samuel and George Kittle as San Francisco's leading receiver.

Niners receivers coach Leonard Hankerson told Wagoner he's working to make sure the 25-year-old isn't content with what he did a season ago.

"I talk to him all the time, I say you are going from 800 yards your first year to 900 your second year, now this year you hit 1,000," But how close were you to having 1,400 yards? And three or four more touchdowns? ... Him continuing to have that open mindset of 'Every day I've gotta work on everything and I've gotta still prove myself.'"

Between the combined presence of Samuel and Kittle along with the general uncertainty at the quarterback position in San Francisco, it's tough to get a full read on Aiyuk's fantasy football ceiling.

But it's hard not to be bullish on his potential when he has made incremental improvements since entering the league in 2020. Clearly his confidence isn't in short supply.

A group of NFL coaches, scouts, executives and players agrees with Deebo Samuel's own assessment of his 2022 season.

In a survey of the league's top wide receivers conducted by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Samuel wasn't ranked among the top 10 players at the position. He was included among the honorable mentions on the list.

"He's the guy you game-plan against when you play San Fran. It's not George Kittle, it's Deebo," one AFC executive told Fowler. "He can take over the game with his big-play ability, his RAC and physicality."

Speaking to reporters at 49ers' mandatory minicamp in June, Samuel described his 2022 season as "awful" and admitted to not being in peak physical condition.

Fowler did note Samuel is "one of the tougher evaluations on the list" because he's viewed more as an offensive weapon than a pure wide receiver in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.

Samuel coined the term "wide back" in January 2022 to describe his role on the team. He racked up 1,770 yards from scrimmage on 77 receptions and 59 rushing attempts during the 2021 season.

One reason Samuel cited for being out of shape was the stalemate he had with the 49ers last offseason that prompted him to request a trade.

The two sides were able to put aside those issues when he signed a three-year extension worth up to $73.5 million, but the deal wasn't finalized until Aug. 1 after training camp had already started.

Samuel missed time last season with two different injuries. He sat out San Francisco's Week 8 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams with a strained hamstring.

The 27-year-old was carted off the field in the second quarter of the 49ers' 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a sprained MCL and ankle in his left leg. He sat out the next three games before returning for the regular-season finale against the Arizona Cardinals.

Last season was the least productive year of Samuel's career on a per-touch basis. He averaged just 8.8 yards per touch, nearly three yards below his career average (11.6).

Some regression was to be expected after Samuel had a career year in 2021, but he had his fewest yards per reception (11.3), receiving yards per game (48.6) and yards per target (6.7) last season.

The 49ers have a deep roster of skill-position talent, including Kittle, Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk, that their offense was able to play at a high level. But a return to form by Samuel in 2023 could be enough to get them over the top after losing in the NFC Championship Game in each of the past two years.

Deebo Samuel isn't interested in talking about what he said in the aftermath of the San Francisco 49ers' 31-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.

During an appearance on The Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio, Samuel cut off the interview as he was being asked about the comments and what reaction he expects to receive from Eagles fans when the 49ers visit Philadelphia during the 2023 regular season.

Samuel was one of several 49ers players who did a lot of talking following the NFC Championship Game.

On Feb. 9, Samuel told Adam Schein of Mad Dog Sports Radio that San Francisco would've won by double digits if Brock Purdy didn't get hurt.

Samuel doubled down on his stance in May when he told Zion Olojede of Complex Sports the 49ers "lost because we played with 10 people."

"I ain't going to keep going on about what could've happened and what would've happened but yeah," he added, "it would've definitely been a different outcome (if healthy)."

The 49ers were at a distinct disadvantage for virtually the entire game. Purdy was injured on San Francisco's sixth offensive snap when Haason Reddick hit his arm and elbow to force a fumble.

Josh Johnson, who signed with the team on Dec. 4 after Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a broken foot, took over before he left early in the third quarter with a concussion. Purdy came back in but was limited to handoffs outside of two screen passes because he couldn't throw the ball.

It was undoubtedly a frustrating way for San Francisco's season to end after winning 12 consecutive games between the regular season and playoffs.

Samuel and the 49ers can get a modicum of revenge on Dec. 3 when they travel to Lincoln Financial Field for a showdown with the Eagles.

San Francisco 49ers star receiver Deebo Samuel was brutally honest when evaluating his performance last season.

"It was awful. Every aspect," Samuel told reporters Tuesday.

The 27-year-old was limited to 13 games last season due to hamstring and ankle injuries, and his production fell off a cliff. Samuel recorded only 56 catches for 632 yards and two touchdowns while adding 232 rushing yards and three more scores on 42 carries.

In 2021, Samuel earned first-team All-Pro honors after posting 77 catches for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns plus 59 carries for 365 yards and eight scores. He was rewarded with a three-year contract extension worth up to $73.5 million with $58.1 million guaranteed prior to last season.

Samuel added that he recently watched film from the 2022 campaign with head coach Kyle Shanahan and felt he looked "sluggish."

It sounds like the former Pro Bowler is motivated to bounce back from his disappointing showing last year to help San Francisco make another deep playoff run this season.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel said the Philadelphia Eagles are his most hated team right now, "100 percent."

"All the trash talk coming from the Eagles fanbase and the players, you just get tired of that," Samuel told Zion Olojede of Complex in an exclusive interview.

The 49ers lost 31-7 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, where starting quarterback Brock Purdy suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right (throwing) elbow at the end of his team's first drive. Backup Josh Johnson took over but suffered a concussion in the third quarter.

Purdy finished the game at quarterback, but the 49ers were forced to run the ball on nearly every play during their final three drives.

"We lost because we played with 10 people," Samuel said.

The 49ers had already lost two quarterbacks for the season in Trey Lance (fractured fibula and ligament damage in right ankle) and Jimmy Garoppolo (broken left foot). Purdy took over for Garoppolo and proceeded to win all seven of his starts until the NFC Championship Game.

We'll never know how the NFC Championship Game would have turned out had Purdy not torn his UCL, but Samuel is confident that it would have been a different outcome. He said there was "no question" that the 49ers were the best team last year.

"100 percent," Samuel said when asked if things would have been different in the NFC title game. "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."

As for 2023, Samuel is confident in his team's abilities.

"We just gotta stay healthy, man," Samuel said. "We stay healthy and the sky's the limit."

The defending NFC champion Eagles and 49ers look to be the clear favorites in the conference after dominating the competition last year. Samuel may very well get another shot at Philadelphia for a chance to go to the Super Bowl.

We do know that he'll be heading to Philadelphia in the regular season, as the Eagles are scheduled to host the 49ers. The schedule has yet to come out, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the league is targeting a May 11 release date.

Russell Wilson, Matthew Stafford and Deebo Samuel are among the notable NFL players due to receive big payouts before the end of the day.

Per ESPN's Field Yates, Stafford will earn a $30 million payment from his deferred signing bonus as part of the contract extension he signed with the Los Angeles Rams last offseason.

Wilson is owed $12 million by the Denver Broncos, and Samuel is due $14.035 million from the San Francisco 49ers. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has to pay out $27 million between Quenton Nelson and Matt Ryan today.

As far as finances go, it's been a good month for the Stafford family. His signing bonus payment today comes after another $57 million in his contract became fully guaranteed for being on the Rams' roster on March 17.

The $57 million is split between Stafford's option bonus and his $31 million base salary in 2024.

Wilson's contract has a $20 million guaranteed option bonus that had to be exercised between March 15 and 19.

Samuel's three-year, $71.6 million extension with the 49ers signed in August includes $58.1 million in total guarantees. He is owed a $9.215 million option bonus for the 2023 season.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported earlier this month that Ryan's trade to the Colts last offseason included a new contract that guaranteed the 2016 NFL MVP $12 million in 2023 that wasn't in his previous deal with the Atlanta Falcons.

Even though the Colts released Ryan on March 15, he's still going to count $18 million against their cap in large part because of the new guaranteed money added to his deal.

Shaquille Leonard, DeForest Buckner and Braden Smith are the only Colts players who will have a higher cap hit than Ryan in 2023.

Nelson received a four-year, $80 million extension from the Colts before Week 1 last season. The deal made him the highest-paid guard in the NFL at the time. Chris Lindstrom surpassed it when he signed a five-year, $105 million extension with the Atlanta Falcons on March 13.

In addition to his $19 million payment owed today, Nelson's $19 million base salary in 2024 became fully guaranteed on March 19.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel wants to switch his jersey from No. 19 to No. 1, but he tweeted Tuesday that the NFL wants too much from him to make the move.

KMBC 9 News Staff explained the issue players face if they want to change numbers.

"If a veteran player wishes to change a jersey number immediately, they must buy out the remaining stock of their old jersey. Depending on the profile of the player, it could be a daunting fiscal decision. Players not only buy out the existing inventory but buy them out at retail price."

Changing jersey numbers isn't necessarily an issue for players going to a new team, such as Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Calvin Ridley, who announced he would be debuting with the Jags in 2023 with No. 0 as part of the league's announcement that it will begin allowing players to sport that number.

It also isn't as big of a deal for non-star players who don't see their jerseys sold en masse.

But it might be a question for a star player like Samuel, who was No. 43 on the jersey sales list from March 2021 to February 2022, per the NFLPA.

Granted, Samuel signed a three-year contract extension worth up to $73.5 million last offseason, but it's a matter of whether it's worth forking over an untold sum just for a jersey number switch.

Ultimately, it appears Samuel doesn't think the NFL's price is worth the change to No. 1. It does appear that the No. 0 announcement (which Samuel is not a fan of), has intrigued at least one star: Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons.

Parsons, a two-time Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year runner-up, has sported No. 11 over his first two seasons.

Despite rumors that the New England Patriots are interested in Deebo Samuel, it doesn't sound like the San Francisco 49ers are even going to entertain trade offers for the 2021 All-Pro wide receiver.

Per Albert Breer of The MMQB and NBC Sports Boston, someone with the 49ers "who'd absolutely know on this" situation said the Patriots "haven't called" about Samuel and they are "not trading him" anyway.

The rumor was started by James Stewart of 98.5 The Sports Hub on Wednesday's episode of Felger and Mazz.

"I heard the Patriots, I got a text message from an NFL talent evaluator that the Patriots are sniffing around Deebo Samuel," Stewart said.

It would make sense for the Patriots to be exploring every possible avenue to land a No. 1 wide receiver this offseason after whiffing on the position in the draft and free agency recently.

It's still too early to make a call on Tyquan Thornton, New England's second-round pick last year, but they could have selected Samuel in 2019 before they elected to take N'Keal Harry at No. 32 overall. Samuel went to the 49ers four picks after Harry was taken.

Jakobi Meyers, who led the Patriots with 804 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2022, is set to become a free agent this offseason. No other player had more than 539 receiving yards last season for New England.

The Patriots do have some flexibility to add big contracts to their salary cap for 2023. They currently have $38.4 million in cap space without any major free agents to re-sign, with Meyers and Jonathan Jones their best pending free agents.

Even if Samuel was a player the Patriots wanted to bring in, though, it would make no sense for the 49ers to trade him this offseason. His contract contains a $35.2 million dead-cap hit in 2023, compared to an $8.7 million cap hit.

San Francisco is starting the offseason with $3.2 million in cap space and with key starters like Jimmie Ward, Mike McGlinchey and Azeez Al-Shaair set to hit free agency.

Samuel is also an integral part of the offense for a 49ers team that is going to have Super Bowl aspirations next season after losing in the NFC Championship Game. The 27-year-old had 864 yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns in 13 games during the 2022 campaign.