The San Francisco 49ers were short on wide receivers and running backs. So it only made sense that they brought in someone who can play both.
On Thursday, the team agreed to a one-year deal with Deebo Samuel, a longtime member of their offense, who will likely slip into his familiar Z receiver position after a flare-up of Ricky Pearsall’s recurring knee injury. Per Samuel’s agent, Tory Dandy, the deal is worth up to $7 million. It’s believed that the 49ers have been in talks with Samuel and his agent for the last month or so.
The 49ers didn’t practice Thursday, and there’s been no update on Pearsall, who missed Wednesday’s practice due to swelling in his right knee. It’s the same knee that cost him more than half of the 2025 season after he injured his PCL. Should Pearsall opt for surgery, it could cost him all of the upcoming season. Receiver Christian Kirk, who signed as a free agent in March, injured his calf in the team’s first practice, while running back Jordan James has a rib fracture.
Should the 49ers bring back Deebo Samuel?
Matt Barrows and Vic Tafur
Samuel, meanwhile, has been a longtime favorite of coach Kyle Shanahan and is also well-liked in the locker room — so much so that two of the longest-tenured 49ers, George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk, lobbied for Samuel’s return earlier this summer.
After a slimmed-down Samuel posted a workout video on social media, Juszczyk commented, “I have a guest house with your name on it.” Kittle followed that up with, “I also have a guest house labeled ‘Deebo’s second home.’”
Samuel’s return after a year with the Washington Commanders, coupled with the signing of linebacker Dre Greenlaw following a one-year stint in Denver, gives San Francisco’s upcoming season a “the gang’s back together” vibe.
Samuel was a second-round pick in 2019, while Greenlaw went in the fifth round that year. They were part of two NFC Championship teams (2019, 2023), both of which fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Their returns, of course, also highlight the gray that is growing along the 49ers’ roster.
Samuel turned 30 in January, making him one of several offensive starters — Mike Evans, Christian McCaffrey, Kittle, Juszczyk, Trent Williams and Jake Brendel are others — who have seen their 30th birthday.
The 49ers traded Samuel to Washington for a fifth-round pick following a 2024 season in which quintessential “Deebo” performances — running over opponents and racking up yards — were rare. He had only two of those signature outings that season, a Week 2 loss in Minnesota in which Samuel caught eight passes for 110 yards and a Week 16 loss in Miami in which he had seven catches for 96 yards. He also finished with just four touchdowns, a far cry from the 14 he had during his 2021 high-water mark in San Francisco.
That season, Samuel had 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns, plus 59 carries for 365 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground, earning first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. He had at least 800 yards from scrimmage in five of his six seasons with the 49ers, including 1,117 and 12 total touchdowns in 2023.
Last year, Samuel became the Commanders’ primary receiver after injuries decimated the position group, leading the team in catches (72), receiving yards (727) and receiving touchdowns (five). He also had 452 return yards on 15 kickoffs while playing in 16 games, his most in a season since 2021. He ranked 60th overall and 11th among receivers in The Athletic’s Top 150 free agents.
With Pearsall and Kirk absent, Evans, second-round rookie De’Zhaun Stribling, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins have been the top wideouts in 49ers practices so far.
