The San Francisco 49ers aren't in danger of losing two foundational pieces—wide receiver Deebo Samuel and defensive end Nick Bosa. However, this offseason will be the team's first opportunity to discuss potential contract negotiations with both players.
The 49ers could gain some salary-cap room by parting ways with Jimmy Garoppolo, making it easier to lock up players like Samuel and Bosa. We don't know what the 49ers will do with their veteran quarterback just yet, but on Tuesday, general manager John Lynch assured the media that the team has already started the planning needed to ensure that the two young stars don't leave Santa Clara.
"Just to get it out of the way, with he (Samuel) and Nick, we fully understand these guys are pillars of what we're trying to do here," Lynch said during the 49ers' end-of-season press conference. "We've been blessed that we've been aggressive because we've had a lot of players that we believe are some of the best in the league at what they do, and these guys are no different.
"We have really good lines of communication with their representatives. Those will continue. I'm not going to put any timelines on it, but obviously, planning has been done to account for those guys."
Bosa will likely become the NFL's highest-paid defender at some point. Samuel's situation is more unique. He is listed as a wide receiver, leading the 49ers with 1,405 receiving yards this season. However, he often comes out of the backfield in a running back role, led the team with eight rushing touchdowns in the regular season, and had another in the playoffs. Samuel considers himself more of a "wide back"—a wide receiver and running back hybrid—than a pure wideout, and he isn't wrong.
"Yes, there is some interesting dynamics with Deebo playing multiple positions, but the bottom line [is] he's an excellent football player," Lynch added. "And so, I'm sure that we'll find a way to get that done. And like I said, it's been budgeted for."