Building a connection off the field is conducive to success, especially for a quarterback and his wide receivers. The San Francisco 49ers' Brock Purdy seemingly formed a strong rapport with Deebo Samuel, who was traded to the Washington Commanders this offseason. And by the sound of it, the swap still doesn't sit right with the rising fourth-year passer.
Purdy didn't shy away from the fact that losing Samuel in March "sucks" during a recent appearance on the Bussin' With The Boys podcast. Seeing any teammate go is never easy, let alone one you befriend beyond the gridiron. San Francisco's calculations may have led them to send Deebo to Washington, but they ostensibly didn't factor in their franchise centerpiece's feelings.
Brock Purdy is still hurt by the 49ers trading Deebo Samuel
"[Samuel's] my boy," Purdy said. "I love Deebo. [Since] Day 1, he's always had my back and believed in me when I got in."
A rookie "Mr. Irrelevant" Purdy wasn't sure how the locker room would take it when he replaced an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in 2022. After all, the latter was an established veteran who took the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game the year prior. However, Samuel welcomed the change with open arms, marking the start of a blossoming bond.
"I didn't really know how the guys were going to take it," Purdy said. "... Jimmy [Garoppolo] went down, I was like the last quarterback, and Deebo was nothing but great to me. Building me up and just giving me confidence. In games, we fed off each other's energy and building each other up. It was awesome. And over the last couple of years, same thing. We created a great relationship. He's my brother."
As upset as he may be, Brock Purdy partly contributed to Deebo Samuel getting traded
The worst part about the Purdy-Samuel breakup is that the Niners effectively dumped the wideout's contract to compensate their once criminally underpaid signal-caller. Yes, Samuel requested a change of scenery, but that was after it was initially reported San Fran was expected to shop him. Regardless, the front office parted ways with its "wideback" in a cost-cutting move, knowing they had bigger fish to fry.
Without Washington taking on Samuel's full $17.55 million salary, making room for Purdy's new five-year, $265 million extension would've been even more challenging. Including the two transactions, San Francisco has the second-most expensive top-51 roster spots, according to Spotrac. The 49ers also have over $91 million in dead money, highlighting how cap-strapped they truly are.
While Purdy is sad to see Samuel no longer with the 49ers, he understands why it happened. The 25-year-old realizes that saying goodbye when you don't want to comes with being a professional athlete, especially when everyone wants to get paid. Nevertheless, despite now being conference rivals and direct competitors, the former will be rooting for his ex-comrade from afar.
"But, again, that's just how this business goes," Purdy acknowledged. "I hope [Samuel] goes to Washington and kills it and does great."