All-Pro receiver Deebo Samuel ended his offseason holdout by reporting for the first day of mandatory minicamp for the San Francisco 49ers.
Samuel had skipped the voluntary portion of the offseason after telling ESPN in April that he wanted to be traded but showed up Tuesday for the start of the three-day minicamp. Skipping the camp could have led to a fine of nearly $100,000.
Samuel wasn’t the only star player who returned to the Niners for the mandatory portion of the offseason, with All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams and star edge rusher Nick Bosa also rejoining the team this week.
Samuel ran on the side during practice, and Bosa and Williams only took part in individual drills.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo did not join the team this week as he was given permission to skip the minicamp as he rehabilitates from shoulder surgery. The Niners are seeking to trade him as they are handing the starting job to Trey Lance.
Williams and Bosa typically work out on their own during the offseason and were expected to be at minicamp. The situation surrounding Samuel has been less certain ever since he made his trade request public before the draft.
Coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch have been consistent in saying they had no interest in trading Samuel and hoped to be able to keep him long term with a new contract.
Samuel is entering the final year of the rookie deal he signed after being drafted in the second round in 2019 and is looking to take advantage of the exploding market of receiver contracts.
Samuel is set to be paid nearly $4 million this season after being a first-team All-Pro in 2021. There are now 14 receivers with an average annual contract of at least $18 million with nine of those deals being signed this offseason.
COLTS: Linebacker Darius Leonard will miss this week’s three-day minicamp and the start of training camp after having back surgery.
RAMS: Although Aaron Donald smiles and deflects the question when asked how seriously he considered retirement before the monster renegotiation of his contract, the Los Angeles Rams’ perennial All-Pro defensive tackle says he never stopped working out.
“I’m always going to keep myself in shape, keep myself looking good,” Donald said. “I like to take my shirt off, so…”
The previous time Donald was seen in Los Angeles without a shirt, he was atop a double-decker bus celebrating a Super Bowl victory in a parade down Figueroa Street. He returned for the Rams’ mandatory minicamp this week to begin his chase of a second ring after sealing his new deal Monday as the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
With Donald’s deal done and cornerback Jalen Ramsey beginning the most lucrative season yet in his $100 million deal, the Rams don’t appear to be headed toward training camp next month with any contract drama looming. Donald and quarterback Matthew Stafford have already bumped up their contracts to reap the long-term financial rewards of leading the Rams to a championship.
Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp is likely to be the next star to get a big renegotiation, but the NFL’s most productive receiver in 2021 reiterated he’s not interested in a bank-breaking deal that would hamper the Rams’ chances of repeating.
Kupp’s current deal makes him the 17th highest-paid receiver in the league in 2022 at $14.875 million.
BILLS: The Buffalo Bills promoted Brian Gaine as assistant general manager, part of a series of moves announced to fill offseason departures.
Gaine replaces Joe Shoen, who left Buffalo after being hired to become the New York Giants GM.
Gaine has 24 seasons of NFL experience and spent the past three years as the Bills’ senior personnel adviser. He returned to Buffalo after spending the 2018 season as the Houston Texans’ general manager before being fired after 18 months on the job.
In other moves, Terrance Gray was promoted to director of player personnel, Mike Szabo takes over as a national college scout, Dennis Lock moves up to the position of senior director of football research and Matt Worswick was named team administration director.
The Bills announced several hirings, including Matt Bazirgan as senior personnel executive and Alonzo Dotson as a national college scout.
SEAHAWKS: Throughout the offseason as speculation continued on his future with the Seahawks, receiver DK Metcalf said all the right things, stating as recently as a month ago that “we’re in a good place. I’m in a good place.”
But actions may be speaking more loudly than words.
With a new contract still not complete, Metcalf will skip Seattle’s mandatory minicamp this week, a source confirmed to The Seattle Times. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network first reported that Metcalf will skip minicamp.
A source further told The Times that Metcalf is not being given an excused absence, which means he could be fined up to $93,000 if he skips all of the minicamp.
Seattle is scheduled for its first of three on-field workouts Tuesday afternoon. Seattle will also hold practices Wednesday and Thursday.
Metcalf was not expected to be on the field as he continues to recover from offseason foot surgery; Rapoport reported Metcalf is in Los Angeles continuing his rehab work.
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