Wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. #1 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers star Deebo Samuel has the utmost confidence in his quarterback Brock Purdy.
The two stars will enter the 2024 season with high expectations once again. Although the Niners have come up short twice in the past five years in Super Bowl matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs, they return the most stacked team in the NFL, with nine of their players having been named to the Pro Bowl last season.
As the NFC's best team, the Niners will be expected to finish the job after coming up one score short of defeating the Chiefs in last year's Super Bowl. Purdy - who led the Niners to a Super Bowl appearance in his first full season starting - will be tasked with finishing the job this season. Samuel has nothing but glowing praise for his 24-year-old quarterback as he enters his third season.
"Overall, I think the man is just the most efficient that I've seen," says Samuel of Purdy in an interview with RG while speaking on behalf of his partnership with FedEx.
While his teammates have noticed his improvement in the offseason - including how he's more vocal and commanding in the huddle - the media doesn't seem to recognize Purdy's great play. Despite turning in a Pro Bowl season which saw him lead the NFL in passer rating, yards per attempt and completion, observers continue to downplay Purdy's success, arguing that he has a stacked offensive supporting cast. In a poll amongst general managers, coaches and executives, Purdy was ranked as the 10th-best quarterback in the NFL.
Samuel believes that the argument against Purdy is silly, bringing up how no one mentioned that Aaron Rodgers throws to Davante Adams when the two teamed up with the Green Bay Packers for many years.
In a previous interview, Niners fullback Kyle Juszczyk brought up how he thinks people don't give Purdy the proper credit because he was the last pick in the draft at No. 262. When brought up during the interview, Samuel agreed with that notion.
"Some people still don't think he's the guy because he's on the Niners, that he's (just) with us," says Samuel. "Overall, the numbers don't lie. He still has to throw the ball down the field, we still have to be in a position to catch the ball. He still has to make the right reads, he still has to do all the things a quarterback has to do.
I don't feed into (what the media says) it, he doesn't feed into it. We control the things that we can control and go out there and play."
The Niners will open the season with a big-time matchup against the Rodgers-led New York Jets on Monday Night Football in Week 1. Although the Niners' final preseason game was on Aug. 23, Samuel made it clear that there's no "decompressing" or relaxing in between the preseason finale and the start of the regular season.
"Ain't no decompressing, we're in there," says Samuel of preparing for the season opener against the Jets.
The 28-year-old Samuel is well-known for being the most versatile wide receiver in the NFL. It was only three years prior that Samuel made NFL history by posting 365 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns as a receiver - the most in league history. In addition to his rushing prowess, Samuel also posted a 1,405-yard season on the receiving end.
There will be a major change to the FedEx Air & Ground awards structure this season. Since the weekly awards inception back in 2003, only quarterbacks and running backs have been eligible to win the award. Starting this season, wide receivers and tight ends will now be able to win the award in a much wider format. FedEx will work with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to donate $2,000 in the name of the winning players each week to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s).
When asked what his objective is for this season outside of winning a Super Bowl, Samuel says he wants to win the FedEx weekly award.
"Win the FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week every week," says Samuel while laughing.
DJ Siddiqi is a sports reporter who focuses on football, basketball and pro wrestling. He has covered some of the biggest sporting events, including the NBA Finals and Wrestlemania and often interviews high-profile athletes on a weekly basis. Siddiqi has interviewed the likes of Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, Tony Hawk and Giannis Antetokounmpo. His previous experience includes working as a lead NBA writer at CBS Sports and 247 Sports in addition to working as a beat reporter covering the NFL and the Denver Broncos at Bleacher Report. Follow Siddiqi for exclusive one-on-one interviews and analysis on key topics in sports
