Slimmer Deebo Samuel impressing the 49ers at training camp with Brandon Aiyuk out

AP Pro Football Writer

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Deebo Samuel has looked like a different person since arriving for the offseason program this spring for the San Francisco 49ers — and it’s not just about his new No. 1 jersey.

The player who was an All-Pro in 2021 when he was one of the game’s most dangerous playmakers is trying to get back to that form after slipping a bit the past two seasons. He came back this season at his lowest weight since entering the NFL and with the work ethic of a player with something to prove this season rather than the satisfaction of one who had already arrived.

“The first day I saw him, when he came back, I almost didn’t recognize him,” defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said Wednesday. “I was like, ‘Dang, dude you’re in really good shape.’ That’s not a knock. He looks great and he’s moving great. He’s Deebo. He’s a weapon anyway but he’s been looking really good.”

A top-flight version of Samuel is even more critical this summer for the 49ers with his running mate at receiver, Brandon Aiyuk, refusing to practice while he waits for either a long-term contract extension or a trade to another team.

Aiyuk, a second-team All-Pro in 2023, is on the fifth-year option worth about $14.1 million this season and wants to become the latest receiver to cash in with a long-term deal. Ten receivers before Aiyuk had signed contracts worth at least $70 million already this offseason with Justin Jefferson’s four-year, $140 million extension with Minnesota setting the top of the market.

Samuel requested a trade last month and his representatives have been talking to other teams to see if there’s a team that Aiyuk wants to join that is willing to pay him the money he wants and give the 49ers the compensation they need to get rid of one of their top offensive players.

“It kind of feels awkward after being with somebody out there for four years straight,” Samuel said about playing without Aiyuk. “But it’s a business. That’s how it goes on the field.”

Samuel is focused more on his own play, which has looked more like the 2021 version that took the NFL by storm when he gained 1,770 yards and scored 14 TDs in a breakthrough campaign.

That earned him a three-year, $71.6 million extension the following summer after his own contentious negotiations that featured a trade request and a brief “hold in.”

But he hasn’t gotten back to that 2021 form, having said he was “awful” in 2022 when he was distracted in the offseason by his contract and then playing a little better in 2023.

Samuel had 1,981 yards from scrimmage and 17 TDs in those two seasons combined — barely more than he got in 2021 alone. He was intent on getting into the best shape he could in order to end a season with a Super Bowl title after losing the title game in the 2019 and 2023 seasons to Kansas City and NFC title games in 2021-22.

“My motivation was for sure losing two Super Bowls,” he said. “We are always there. In my mind. I’m doing everything possible to be in the best shape and being the best player and being the best version of myself to come back and continue help this team go on those runs that we know we’re capable of.”

That has been evident since the spring when Samuel was one of the rare proven veterans who was on the field throughout the offseason program.

He has set the tone for the receivers in training camp, missing only one practice so far and playing at a high level at every chance he gets, catching the attention of his teammates.

“That number change got him looking even slimmer,” All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner said. “You can tell he took this offseason really serious. This means a lot to him. He’s been outstanding. This has obviously been his best camp in terms of just coming in prepared, ready to go, just competing every single day, showing his team, showing us and everyone that he’s ready to go. He’s setting himself up to have an amazing season. I’m really happy for him and obviously happy for our team because we need him.”

NOTES: First-round rookie WR Ricky Pearsall missed practice a day after hurting his shoulder. … Warner missed practice because of foot irritation. … The 49ers signed WR Jontre Kirklin and RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn to one-year deals. In order to make room on the roster, they released S Erik Harris and waived WR Terique Owens (hand) with an injury designation.

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