George Kittle knows exactly what he\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n
When the 49ers\u2019 All-Pro tight end casually mentioned that San Francisco could \u201cadd some past friends\u201d during a Super Bowl weekend interview, it didn\u2019t take long for fans to connect the dots. Especially when Kittle followed it up with: \u201cI hung out with Deebo last night. That was fun. I love Deebo.\u201d<\/p>\n
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That was all it took.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, the idea of Deebo Samuel returning to the 49ers doesn\u2019t feel impossible. Not official. Not imminent. But not crazy, either.<\/p>\n
And when Christian McCaffrey added fuel to the fire by saying \u201cDeebo\u2019s one of my favorite guys I\u2019ve ever played with\u2026 he would be welcomed back\u201d, the speculation only intensified.<\/p>\n
The love is clearly still there. The real question is whether the football fit still is.<\/p>\n
The Emotional Case for a Reunion<\/p>\n
Few players in recent 49ers history meant more to the franchise\u2019s identity than Deebo Samuel.<\/p>\n
His 2021 season remains one of the most unique campaigns by a wide receiver in NFL history. He played through pain. Inside the locker room, he\u2019s beloved. That part isn\u2019t up for debate.<\/p>\n
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For a team that believes its championship window is open, culture matters. Continuity matters. And bringing back a player who already understands Shanahan\u2019s system could offer instant chemistry.<\/p>\n
But nostalgia can\u2019t make roster decisions by itself.<\/p>\n
What the Numbers Say<\/p>\n
In 2025, Samuel caught a league-high 43 screens and continued to operate as a manufactured-touch weapon. Over 58 percent of his snaps came from the slot, yet he posted just 1.3 yards per route run from that alignment which was a career low.<\/p>\n
His average depth of target (6.4 yards) was the lowest it\u2019s been in three seasons. His yards after the catch per reception dropped to 6.6 and he recorded six drops.<\/p>\n
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Samuel has always thrived as a physical receiver, but that physicality comes with mileage. The 49ers, meanwhile, need a wideout who can consistently separate, win downfield, and create explosive plays outside the structure of the offense.<\/p>\n
At this stage of his career, Deebo profiles more as a specialized weapon than a true No. 1.<\/p>\n
The Special Teams Factor<\/p>\n
One intriguing wrinkle: kickoff returns.<\/p>\n
Samuel averaged 30.1 yards per return last season. If the 49ers are looking for a dynamic return presence, he could immediately fill that role while contributing in a rotational offensive capacity.<\/p>\n
But how much are you willing to pay for that?<\/p>\n
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Projections suggest Samuel could command roughly $13 million per year. For a team that has looming extensions and roster priorities, particularly along the offensive line and defense, that\u2019s a significant investment.<\/p>\n
San Francisco isn\u2019t short on affection for Deebo but it may be short on cap flexibility.<\/p>\n
Does It Actually Make Sense?<\/p>\n
There are two separate conversations here.<\/p>\n
From a locker room standpoint? Absolutely. The respect is mutual. The relationships are intact. The door isn\u2019t closed.<\/p>\n
From a roster-building standpoint? It\u2019s more complicated.<\/p>\n
The 49ers need a true wide receiver #1. Samuel still offers versatility, but the version of Deebo who terrified defenses in 2021 may not be walking back through that door. That doesn\u2019t mean a reunion is impossible. It just means it would have to come at the right price. Kittle\u2019s comments might have been playful. McCaffrey\u2019s praise might have simply been genuine admiration. But in the NFL, where there\u2019s smoke, there\u2019s usually at least a conversation happening somewhere.<\/p>\n
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Would Deebo Samuel be welcomed back to San Francisco?<\/p>\n
Without question.<\/p>\n
Would it make the 49ers more dangerous in 2026?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the debate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"George Kittle knows exactly what he\u2019s doing. When the 49ers\u2019 All-Pro tight end casually mentioned that San Francisco…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":749454,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2080],"tags":[220,4124,1698,1705,7,6066,6,1161,252,2624,2623,6130],"class_list":{"0":"post-749453","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco-49ers","8":"tag-49ers","9":"tag-christian-mccaffrey","10":"tag-deebo","11":"tag-deebo-samuel","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-george-kittle","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-san-francisco","16":"tag-san-francisco-49ers","17":"tag-sanfrancisco","18":"tag-sanfrancisco49ers","19":"tag-the-49ers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116063840785870922","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=749453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749453\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/749454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=749453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=749453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=749453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}