There is a pathway for Deebo Samuel to bounce back and be a high level player again for the 49ers in 2025.
One player on the San Francisco 49ers who will want to forget 2024 quickly is wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
He was arguably the most disappointing player on the team. He failed to be an impactful leader and was a negatively productive player. Samuel usually has a few highlights during a good season, but this past season was filled with lowlights.
Moving on from Samuel this offseason is possible for the 49ers. It’s a decision they should heavily consider. However, they may believe in Samuel still. There is a way Samuel can bounce back in 2025. Look at his history since entering the NFL.
He has one good season followed by a bad one. 2019 was solid and promising. 2020 was depressing due to injuries. 2021 was a magical season. 2022 was a letdown. 2023 was an impressive one and we all know about 2024. Samuel is literally a roller coaster.
His pattern shows that he should be a positively impactful player again in 2025. If the pattern isn’t convincing, then perhaps the return of Brandon Aiyuk will.
Deebo Samuel had 19 receptions on 30 targets for 310 yards across 231 snaps when playing alongside Brandon Aiyuk. Without Aiyuk, he recorded 32 receptions on 51 targets for 360 yards over 422 snaps 9 (h/t Pro Football Network).
The pushback is that Aiyuk might be a shell of himself from the player that he was in 2023. It might take 2025 for him to build himself back into the stellar player that he was. However, his presence alone might be enough to help Samuel bounce back.
Aiyuk wasn’t great for the 49ers before his injury in 2024. Yet, he was still affecting the game plan of defensive coordinators and drawing attention. Aiyuk will always be a noteworthy player when going against the 49ers’ offense. That could act as a building block for Samuel.
Even the return of Christian McCaffrey can kickstart Samuel back into being an effective player again. There’s also Ricky Pearsall who can ascend in 2025 and be Samuel’s running mate to allow him to be lethal. Overall, there are chances for a bounce-back year from Samuel.
I don’t think it will happen, but it wouldn’t be that surprising to see it from him.