Steve Young believes Deebo Samuel made a mistake in how he’s handled things with the 49ers this offseason. Samuel reportedly requested a trade after discussions with San Francisco went south regarding a contract extension, either over money, usage or a combination of both.
Then the draft came and went and Samuel wasn’t traded, with the 49ers hoping they can mend fences and come to an agreement.
Either way, Young doesn’t think the entire saga was a great look.
“Deebo did himself a bit of a disservice, whispers around how he felt about this whole situation,” Young told the Rich Eisen Show. “I just think that Deebo … if you don’t want to be here, say it, why, what [you’re] doing or not.”
Bizarrely, Samuel has never publicly stated what his issue with the 49ers is, leading to speculation about what his problem is. Samuel has taken to Twitter to say that reports are inaccurate, but has not clarified.
Samuel recently re-followed the 49ers on Instagram after scrubbing all his social media of any connection with SF. Hopefully, that’s a small step towards reconciliation.
“I can’t think of a more valuable player in the league if you had to choose somebody to come play for the 49ers,” Young said. “I think the No. 1 most valuable player that you could choose is Deebo, if he’s focused and in shape. If Deebo is not focused and not in shape, then that’s another story.
“But to me, getting Deebo in shape and focused on the 49ers with Trey Lance is vital, to say the least.”
Here’s the clip: