NFC Notes: Deebo Samuel, 49ers, Cardinals, Seahawks

49ers

49ers TE George Kittle feels that the organization should’ve signed WR Deebo Samuel to a contract extension during last year’s regular season. NFL rules stipulated Samuel wasn’t eligible then, as he had yet to complete his third season, but February or March might have been an option. 

“Hindsight is 20-20, right? And I know nothing, I haven’t talked to John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan or Deebo about it, I have not,” Kittle said, via Logan Mullen of Audacy. “I don’t know anything. All I know is that in hindsight, I would’ve paid Deebo three-quarters of the way through the season, try to do a contract in-season, for sure. Probably would’ve been cheaper. Christian Kirk really set the market off.”

Kittle believes that Samuel will play next season and doesn’t expect the 49ers to trade him because it wouldn’t be beneficial toward their 2022 results. 

“What’s gonna happen, and this is me not knowing anything, Deebo’s got another year on his contract left regardless, right? Assuming he’s not going to sit out, that’s a lot of money, so he’s either going to play this year as a Niner with one year left on his deal or he’s going to get a contract extension. At this point you can’t even trade him. What are you going to do, trade him for a first-round pick in next year’s draft? That doesn’t help us this year. Like c’mon, you can’t trade for future picks, not right now, so that window is kind of closed.”

Kittle thinks that the 49ers will eventually extend Samuel and guesses that more information will come out in three weeks. 

“Something crazy could happen, I could be eating my words in two weeks, but the Niners have done every major contract – mine, Fred Warner’s — the week before the season started. So, my guess is in three weeks we’ll hear news of it, but I have no idea.”

Cardinals

Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury is confident that Kyler Murray and WR Marquise Brown will have a “good relationship” and are already bonding in the offseason program. 

“It’s going to be a good relationship there. The way they work out together throughout the offseason, there’s already that bond,” Kingsbury said, via Tyler Dragon of USA Today. “I think once we get to training camp and Hollywood gets comfortable in our system and isn’t thinking as much, I think it’s really going to take off. But they definitely, you can tell, have a connection.”

Brown thinks that he is well suited to fit into Kingsbury’s offensive system. 

“I feel like I can definitely help the team in the role that I’m asked to do here. I helped the Ravens as well, but it’s really about what’s the philosophy of the team,” Brown said. “Just the attack mentality. We are trying to put points up, and that’s what I love.”

Seahawks

Seahawks OL coach Andy Dickerson had high praise for first-round OT Charles Cross and third-round OT Abraham Lucas. 

“We talked to Charles – very intelligent young man,” Dickerson, via SeahawksWire. “Ability to communicate and just watching him play in the SEC as much as he did and how well he played. Same for Abe, just great career in college, and then just getting the interview process and being able to talk to those guys and really get a feel for how they are and how they understand and process football. So really excited about all the picks and all the guys we got.”

Dickerson said that they are still determining their best five offensive linemen. 

“We’re looking for guys who are smart, tough, and reliable, and we have all those guys in the building,” Dickerson said. “It’s just going to be when the competition comes and we get through the training camp and the preseason games, who’s the person, who are those five that we think are going to make the best offensive line. Not just the right tackle, but who are those guys who’ve earned those jobs?”