49ers plan to release Javon Hargrave but not Deebo Samuel Sr. - ESPN

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After the San Francisco 49ers made significant tweaks to the contracts of defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. in recent months, it left questions about whether both players were on their way out.

On Wednesday, Niners general manager John Lynch provided answers to those questions, revealing that the team plans to release Hargrave with a post-June 1 designation when the new league year starts in March. There are no such plans for Samuel, however.

«Deebo is under contract,» Lynch said. "[He's] a good player and has done a ton for this organization and we're not in the business of letting good players out of here."

The 49ers restructured Samuel's contract in September, a move that meant if the Niners were to trade or release him before June 1, 2025, they would have to absorb a $31.55 million dead money hit on the cap. If they did want to move on from him with a post-June 1 designation before his March 23 option bonus is due, they could have decreased that number to cap hits of $10,751,753 over the next couple of years.

But while Samuel is coming off a disappointing, injury-plagued season in which he finished with 806 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns (career lows save for a 2020 season in which he played just seven games), he looked more like himself against the Miami Dolphins in Week 16 and said he had «no questions at all» about his future in San Francisco.

Hargrave, however, will not be back unless it's on a significantly reduced contract after the team makes his release official. That can't happen until March 12 when the new league year begins. He restructured his contract in early December to make a post-June 1 release more palatable for the Niners.

The post-June 1