Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa were the 49ers' two best players this season, earning the top awards from their teammates and coaches and now their futures with the team are the biggest priorities for San Francisco's front office this offseason.
"Just to get it out of the way with both [Deebo Samuel] and Nick [Bosa], we fully understand these guys are pillars of what we're trying to do here," general manager John Lynch said Tuesday to the media. "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."
Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have received criticism for some of their strategy and misses in the NFL draft. They couldn't have done better with their first two picks in 2019.
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SIGN UP HERE After taking Bosa with the No. 2 overall pick, Samuel fell right into their laps in the second round with the No. 36 overall pick. Both players have quickly turned into superstars.
Now, they're both able to sign huge contract extensions for the first time this offseason. Samuel said Monday that contract decisions are out of his control. Lynch, however, made it more than clear how important keeping both players in Santa Clara long term is for the 49ers. That begs the question, how quickly does the GM expect to get this done?
"We have really good lines of communication with their representatives, those will continue," Lynch said. "Not gonna put any timelines on it, but obviously planning has been done to account for those guys."
Bosa has a real shot of being the NFL's highest-paid defensive player. The former Rookie of the Year returned this season from a torn ACL and recorded a career-high 15.5 sacks while making the Pro Bowl for the second time. In the playoffs, Bosa added four more sacks in three games.
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He now holds the 49ers' franchise record of eight sacks in only six playoff games.
Samuel might have the more unique deal, especially when it comes to negotiations. He became football's ultimate Swiss Army knife on offense this season, earning his self-proclaimed wide-back nickname as both a wide receiver and running back. Samuel even helped on special teams as a kick returner in the playoffs.
After accumulating 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns as a receiver, plus 365 yards and eight rushing touchdowns while averaging 6.2 yards per carry as a running back, Samuel had 154 receiving yards and 137 rushing yards in the playoffs and scored two more total TDs. That's good for 1,569 receiving yards and 502 rushing yards while scoring 16 touchdowns in 19 games.
Scratch that, 17 touchdowns. Can't forget that he threw a TD, too.
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"Yes, there's some interesting dynamics with Deebo playing multiple positions, but the bottom line is he's an excellent football player," Lynch said. "I'm sure that we'll find a way to get that done and like I said, it's been budgeted for."
Both players have one more year remaining in their four-year rookie contracts. Just like the 49ers did in the past with George Kittle and Fred Warner, though, expect them to come to agreements with these two superstars on a hefty payday this offseason.