San Francisco 49ers

Deebo Samuel unfollows 49ers on Instagram

Updated Apr. 8, 2022 6:11 p.m. ET

If Deebo Samuel truly is unhappy with the San Francisco 49ers, they have a lot more than 19 problems to deal with.

On Thursday, the Niners’ star wideout removed his Instagram profile picture while unfollowing the 49ers account and scrubbing his own of most references to the team. Samuel, of course, is eligible for an extension and seemingly eager to sign one before playing another year on his rookie contract.

He’s also seen fellow All-Pros Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs sign huge deals in the past month.

"I think he’s upset," FOX Sports’ Peter Schrager said during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show."

Schrager intimated one potential hiccup in contract discussions is Jimmy Garoppolo’s $25.55 million salary still being on the books. In February, San Francisco general manager John Lynch said a new deal for Samuel had been "budgeted for," though Lynch also likely believed then that Jimmy G wouldn't still be on the payroll.

Samuel, who’s quickly established himself as one of the best skill players in the league, is due $3.986 million in the final year of his rookie deal. In 2021, he scored 20 touchdowns and became the first player in NFL history to tally 1,400 receiving yards and 300 rushing yards in the same season. Moreover, his 18.2 yards per catch led the league and his 6.2 yards per carry ranked second.

His subsequent social media purge somewhat mimics that of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, who also is seeking a long-term pact from the team that drafted him in 2019. Murray, who cleansed his social media accounts of all Cardinals references in February, restored his team-related photos in March but still does not have a new contract.

The negotiation involving Samuel could be even more complex given his unique value as a "wide back" and the injury concerns associated with his attacking style of play. He’s missed 11 games over his first three seasons while playing many others through pain. On Friday’s edition of "The Herd," Colin Cowherd explained why the Niners might be hesitant to commit big money to arguably their best player.

"Deebo Samuel is a very unique player. He’s a running back, he’s a wide receiver. They use him in a variety of positions. He’s fantastic, big, bruising and physical," Cowherd said. "He wants to get paid top of the market. I want you to think about this, if you ran the Niners: He gets hurt a lot, he plays one way, he’s not going to age well."