After a tense offseason of negotiations, the San Francisco 49ers finally were able to reach a contract extension with star wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Samuel's new deal will see him earn $71.55 million over the next three seasons with San Fran, ensuring the 49ers will have one of the top playmakers in the league at their disposal during that time. Everyone involved with the 49ers was thrilled with this development, including head coach Kyle Shanahan.

Shanahan helped develop Samuel into one of the top playmakers in the NFL last season, and he figures to have a huge role again in 2022 now that second-year quarterback Trey Lance is set to take over under center.

When Samuel requested his trade off the 49ers, rumors began to circulate that Samuel was unhappy with being used as both a wide receiver and running back for San Francisco last season. Many figured that Samuel wanted to be traded to a team that would use him solely as a wide receiver.

Kyle Shanahan took a step to put those rumors to rest this morning, saying that Samuel's usage never came up during their contract talks, and that he and Samuel are on the same page in this regard heading into the 2022 season. This is more great news for the 49ers offseason as the 2022 season looms.

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Samuel is going to have be at his best to help Lance adapt to life as a starting quarterback. Whether it be as a runner or receiver, Samuel has the ability to change the outcome of games by himself.

Whether Samuel will continue to be used in his running back/wide receiver hybrid role by Kyle Shanahan moving forward remains to be seen. Ultimately, it shouldn't matter, as Samuel figures to be set for another extremely productive season, regardless of how he ends up with the football in his hands.