The Seattle Seahawks made wide receiver DK Metcalf a paid man on Thursday. Seattle signed its star pass catcher to a three-year contract worth up to $72 million, with $58.2 million guaranteed. With the new deal, Metcalf ended his lengthy holdout and his relationship with the team appears stronger than ever. On the other side of the NFC West, Deebo Samuel is still waiting for a happy ending with his contract negotiations.

Metcalf's new deal impacts the wide receiver around the league. Not only does it take him off the trade market, but it also serves as a benchmark for other wideouts looking for new deals. Of the players still holding out, the San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver is arguably the most notable.

Samuel and the 49ers are still negotiating a contract extension. The two sides remained far apart for months, and Samuel even requested a trade in April. With training camp underway, both sides want to complete a new deal before the regular season.

With one star receiver receiving a new deal, another one could get his own in the near future. Let's take a look at how exactly Metcalf's new deal affects Samuel's holdout.

How DK Metcalf's extension impacts Deebo Samuel contract talks

Deebo Samuel and DK Metcalf are very similar players in many aspects. For starters, both were second-round picks in 2019, with Samuel going at No. 36 and Metcalf at No. 64.

Metcalf has the better receiving stats at this point in their careers. The Seahawks star has 3,170 yards and 29 touchdowns through three seasons compared to Samuel's 2,598 yards and 10 touchdowns. However, those stats come with the asterisk of Samuel missing ten games due to injury while Metcalf played every game.

What sets Samuel apart from Metcalf (and most other wide receivers) is that he's also a threat on the ground. The former South Carolina receiver has 550 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground in his career. However, the 49ers utilizing Samuel in both positions is reportedly part of why he requested a trade.

Arguably the most important similarity between the two, at least for contract negotiations, is their agent. Tory Dandy represents both players, meaning they will likely look for similar deals. NFL Network's Ian Rappoport reported that Samuel is looking for a shorter deal so he can become a free agent before he's 30, and a three-year deal like Metcalf's would accomplish that.

Dandy also represents another star wide receiver, A.J. Brown. The 25-year-old and Metcalf's former teammate at Ole Miss, also got a massive deal this offseason, but not from the team that drafted him. Instead, he signed that deal with the Eagles after a blockbuster trade on draft night.

Due to the Deebo Samuel trade request from earlier in the offseason, it's still possible he ends up on a new team just like Brown did. However, the 49ers want to retain their star at all costs. General manager John Lynch emphasized that re-signing Samuel is a priority for the team.

“We're focused on getting something done,” Lynch said in a press conference. “Deadlines, and there's not a hard deadline, but deadlines have a way of spurring these things into action. And that's like I said, we've had a number of productive talks.”

San Francisco's lack of cap space stands in the way of completing a deal. The 49ers have just over $4 million in cap space available, which means they'll have to move someone out to sign Samuel. However, if they're able to offload Jimmy Garoppolo and his near $27 million cap hit, they'll have more than enough for Samuel.

Fortunately for San Francisco fans, Deebo Samuel returned to the team to open training camp. He isn't practicing with the team, but he is working on conditioning at team facilities. With the relationship steadily improving, Metcalf's deal may push Samuel and the 49ers to complete an extension.