In today’s NFL passive-aggressive social media moves, players turn to Instagram to show signs of happiness or unhappiness, often when it is related to their teams. This was perhaps something that Deebo Samuel did on Thursday.
Although the reason is still unclear, Samuel recently removed his profile picture where he wore the 49ers jackets. Aside from that, he also unfollowed the 49ers and deleted over 80 posts.
Until today, there is still no official statement from Samuel or the Niners. It was sports analyst, Pat McAfee who noticed and pointed out Samuel’s unfollowing of the team.
So Deebo not only unfollowed them but changed his profile pic from him in a 49ers uniform to just a black background https://t.co/k7JCm3VRa2 pic.twitter.com/CvWqPPXtgS
— Joseph Salvador (@JosephSalvador_) April 7, 2022
First Kyler Murray, now Deebo Samuel
The action was previously done by Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray who made it clear about him being unhappy about his contract extension talks. As a result, he unfollowed the Cardinals’ Instagram account.
“He is discontent about his contract situation while the team wants to see if he can remain healthy for a season and win in the playoffs with Kingsbury,” Fox Sports Radio’s George Wrighster III said on Twitter in early February.
On the other hand, during practice ahead of the 2022 Pro Bowl, Murray admitted to Cardinals reporter, Darren Urban, about his end-season disappointment.
“I wouldn’t get into too much detail, but just get better,” Murray said.
Additionally, Murray deleted all team-related content. But now, Samuel also did it. The question lies in what could have triggered this. On Thursday, Samuel also added “OHHH OKAYYY THEN” which might indicate a type of sarcasm against something.
OHHH OKAYYY THEN
— Deebo (@19problemz) April 6, 2022
Samuel with the Niners
Of course, this all could be nothing. However, from what the sports community has seen, from Murray to Samuel, the action points toward the indication that Samuel could be unhappy with something that the 49ers have done.
The 26-year-old wider receiver is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023 but has not come to terms on a new deal after the first-team All-Pro selection this past season.
The First-team All-American was acquired by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round (36th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract with the 49ers on July 25, 2019. Samuel finished the 2019 season with a record of 57 receptions, running 802 yards, and averaged 11.4.
Meanwhile, in the 2020 season, Samuel made 33 receptions, ran 391 yards, and averaged 3.3. His declining performance could be contributed by his injury. He was put on the injured reserve on September 12 that year. Then, he was reactivated on November 4 but was later put on the COVID-19 reserve. Obviously, 2020 was not his best year with the 49ers.
However, in the 2021 season, the former University of South Carolina player managed to increase his average making 6.2, 77 reception, and running 1405 yards. In his entire career, Samuel successfully made 167 receptions, ran 2598 yards, and averaged 6.8. He undoubtedly showed some progress and entered the last year of his contract. It might seem questionable if the Niners plan to discontinue the contract unless there is an internal problem that has yet to be revealed.
On top of that, the unfollowing could be a sign of Samuel’s temporary stay with the 49ers. Only time will tell and hopefully, fans and the sports community could be able to find an answer anytime soon.