San Francisco 49ers consider offensive options for newly signed Deebo Samuel, 'a special player'

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel signed his lucrative three-year contract extension Monday, bringing an end to the question of whether he will remain with the team for the foreseeable future.

But Samuel's new deal also brought about plenty of other questions regarding his future, the most pressing of which is: Will the Niners continue to use him in the «wide back» hybrid role that elevated Samuel to first team All-Pro status last season?

The answer is yes, according to coach Kyle Shanahan, but the shape that takes will depend on multiple factors.

«I think [it's] based off of whatever happens,» Shanahan said. «From my standpoint schematically, from our team's personnel, from Deebo's, from what we think gives us the best chance to win, if we wanted to move Deebo to running back that would have been something that we were honest about.… You can't do that with anybody. You've got to do that with a special player and Deebo is a special player. That's why he's earned this contract that he's got and I think that's why he's going to continue to earn it going forward.»

What Samuel earned is a three-year extension through the 2025 season agreed to Sunday that is worth up to $73.5 million and includes $58.1 million in guarantees. As it turns out, some of that maximum value is directly tied to incentives Samuel can get should he perform that dual role at a similar rate of production as 2021.

Sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday that Samuel could earn up to $1.95 million over the life of his contract if he meets certain benchmarks for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

Samuel can earn $650,000 for each season he has 380 or more rushing yards. If he doesn't get the rushing yardage total, he can