The California coastline is having stormy weather in San Francisco.
It’s because of a potential holdout from San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
However, some might question if he’s worthy of a holdout with the 49ers.
When looking at his 2021 stats, you can clearly see why he wants to get paid.
He ranked fifth in receiving yards in just over half the receptions that Cooper Kupp had last year.
Kupp was the leading NFL receiver in yards with 1,947 and receptions with 145.
In comparison, Samuel got his 1,405 yards on only 77 receptions.
If Samuel had the reception numbers of Kupp, he’d be over 2,700 yards for the season.
The receiving yards number is astronomical, seeing the NFL record stands at 1,964 yards by Calvin Johnson in 2012.
Samuel Is A Multidimensional Talent That San Francisco Can’t Afford To Lose
Catching passes isn’t all Samuel does for the 49ers.
He passes and rushes with the ball on plays.
Last season saw him with 365 rushing yards and 24 passing yards.
The rushing and passing produced nine touchdowns for the 49ers.
That makes Samuel the Swiss Army knife of NFL players.
Deebo Swiss army knife Samuels
— Karim Cabrera (@Karim_Cabrera) March 28, 2022
However, most NFL teams never see a player of his quality on their roster.
Those teams would do anything for a player of Samuel’s caliber.
No matter the team’s needs, he fills those needs perfectly.
That makes him a needed asset in San Francisco if they want to continue making the playoffs.
Samuel Helped Jimmy Garoppolo In 2019 And 2021
Samuel’s rookie season in San Francisco saw the 49ers make it to Super Bowl 54.
He played a part in helping Jimmy Garoppolo look good during that 2019 Super Bowl season.
During that season, he had 802 receiving yards, 159 rushing yards, and six touchdowns.
However, he’d miss most of 2020 with a lingering hamstring injury.
But 2021 saw him return as a dominating force in the NFL.
His 2021 return was the best season for him in his NFL career.
It also helped Garoppolo have that outlet he needed to help win games.
Had Samuel missed last season, the 49ers would surely have missed the playoffs without him.
Could Lingering Injuries Hurt His True Value?
While Samuel makes magic on the field, he’s also prone to hamstring injuries.
Deebo Samuel injury history dating back to SC.
•Fresh yr: Missed 7 games (hamstring)
•Soph yr: missed 3 games (hamstring)
•Jr yr: Broke bone in leg (10 games)
•Yr 2 NFL: Broken foot/ongoing hamstring problems
To his credit, stayed healthy credit pretty much all last yr
— Nick Newman (@NinerNick_22) March 17, 2022
Ever since his college years, he’s dealt with those types of injuries.
Nothing he’s done has addressed this concern anyone should have about his durability.
While he only missed one game during the 2021 season, he played through some injuries in the season.
His injuries may have been held back from a better season.
Going forward, he needs to work on staying healthy for the 49ers.
Not only does the team need him healthy in 2022, but his stock with other team offers can rise if he’s healthy.
There isn’t one NFL player in the league currently that does the things Samuel shows NFL fans.
That makes him the biggest offensive asset any team could ever have.
It’s also why he’s worth every penny he wants.
He should holdout until he gets that pay he rightfully deserves.
