What Kirk's massive Jags contract means for Deebo, 49ers

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General manager John Lynch said the 49ers had budgeted to keep Deebo Samuel in the Bay Area for years to come.

"With Deebo and Nick [Bosa], we fully understand these guys are pillars of what we’re trying to do here,” Lynch said shortly after the 2021 season ended. “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.

“I’m sure that we’ll find a way to get that done. It’s been budgeted for.”

That budget might have to be adjusted after Monday, though.

During the start of the NFL's open-negotiating period, the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to a four-year, $72 million contract with wide receiver Christian Kirk with a maximum value of $84 million, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported.

At $21 million per year, Kirk now is the third-highest paid receiver in terms of APY, trailing only DeAndre Hopkins and Julio Jones. If you take out the "up to" language of the deal, Kirk still is set to make $17 million per year which puts him in the top 10.

Kirk, 25, caught a career-high 77 passes for 982 yards and five touchdowns last season. In 56 career games, he has caught 236 passes for 2,902 yards and 17 touchdowns. While Kirk had a good season in 2021, he has never had a 1,000-yard season. He is the only one of the 21 receivers who make at last $13 million per year that hasn't eclipsed that mark.

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Naturally, this brings us to Samuel who is extension eligible this offseason.

Samuel was one of the best offensive players in the NFL last season. He caught 77 passes for 1,405 yards, six touchdowns and averaged 18.2 yards per catch. Samuel's receiving numbers dipped during the second half of the season as the 49ers utilized him more in the run game. Samuel rushed for 365 yards and eight touchdowns on 59 carries, most of which came after Week 8.

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While Kirk has yet to log a 1,000-yard season in his career, Samuel reached that mark in 11 games last season.

Kirk's massive contract should put a smile on a number of receivers' faces, including Davante Adams who is set to make $20.1 million next season while playing on the franchise tag. Adams has told the Green Bay Packers that he won't play on the tag and the two sides are working to get a new contract done.

It's fair to expect Adams' new deal to reset the market and for players like Samuel, A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf and Cooper Kupp to slot in behind the Packers star.

Lynch and the 49ers have budgeted to make Samuel a pillar of this era of San Francisco football. There's no doubt that will still be the case, it's just going to be a little more expensive when the time comes fro Samuel's extension.

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