The San Francisco 49ers have made the postseason nearly every year since Deebo Samuel joined the team, with last year being the exception. Over his five seasons in the Bay Area, the team reached a Super Bowl, an NFC Championship, another NFC Championship, and another Super Bowl. It’s the kind of success that, as Samuel put it in his farewell note in The Players’ Tribune, makes him feel “spoiled.”
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Deebo wrote a heartfelt message to the 49ers fanbase before his trade was finalized. He shared how hard it’s been to come to terms with leaving and reflected on the strong relationships he built with teammates like Brandon Aiyuk, Trent Williams, and Brock Purdy.
When the trade request was sent in, he expected to feel happy — but instead, Deebo wrote that he can’t stop thinking about the memories and success he experienced in San Fran.
“That’s why I say I’m one of the most spoiled players that probably ever been a part of the game,” Deebo penned. “Our draft class to San Francisco — me, Bosa, Greenlaw, all of us. All we know is like NFC Championship, Super Bowl.”
It’s crazy to believe, but it’s true. The 49ers have enjoyed a ton of success since the 2019 draft, where they picked up those three players. However, they were never able to finish the job and go all the way.
In Deebo’s rookie season, they were just three minutes away from winning it all—but Patrick Mahomes made his first mark of greatness, willing his Chiefs to their second-ever Super Bowl win. Then, last season, the 49ers faced the same opponent in the big game and suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss.
Deebo’s biggest regret with the team is losing those two Super Bowls. He shared how he wished they had gotten over the hump at least once and how different things would have been if so.
“My biggest regret is that we never finished the damn job. The second one actually hurt more because I’ve been in the game long enough. And at that point, you know you’re going to lose some players, key players at that. But at that moment, not only was I thinking about myself, I thought about the other players who were almost at the end of their careers. Trent Williams, one of my best friends, like a big brother to me and mentor, I wanted it so bad for him.”
It must be tough that Deebo never got the chance to get his mentor a ring. Trent Williams is one of the greatest left tackles to ever play the game, but he’s never been able to capture the Lombardi.
However, Deebo did admit that achieving this much success is not easy. He emphasized that the 49ers have been a top-tier organization for the past few years, and he wanted people to know that.
“That organization is top-tier world-class from John York, Jed York, f*cking John Lynch, Paraag, my receiver coach, Hank, especially Kyle… At the end of the day, these guys put their trust in me to help turn their organization around, and I’ll forever be grateful for that. And thank God I was able to come in and make a difference.”
By the end of the story, Deebo shared that he had been watching his new Commanders quarterback, Jayden Daniels, for quite some time. His teammate Aiyuk was Daniels’ receiver back at Arizona State, so he often watched LSU games in support—and Deebo would tag along. It was then that he realized just how special Jayden was going to be. Now, he’ll be catching passes from the former Heisman winner.
So, Deebo still finds himself in a great position. The 49ers traded him to a team that was just one win away from the Super Bowl last season — a move that speaks volumes about the organization’s class.
Rather than making a spiteful trade to a struggling franchise, they honored his value and sent him to a contender. It’s a decision that earned even more of Deebo’s respect. More teams should take notes.
