49ers news: George Kittle gets brutally honest on Deebo Samuel contract drama

San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle said he recently talked to Deebo Samuel, but not about his contract situation.

The Deebo Samuel contract drama is still hanging over the San Francisco 49ers, but there have been no real updates on the situation for a while. While Samuel asked for a trade before the 2022 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers want to keep him and there has been little movement toward a deal.

49ers star tight end George Kittle addressed Samuel's status during a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. Kittle claimed he has talked to Samuel recently and said he thinks the star wide receiver is doing well, though he also said there were no discussions about his contract.

Via Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area:

“I actually talked to him like two days ago,” Kittle said. “He seemed like he was in a good mood, he was hanging out with his kid who he just had, he’s also a new dad.

“I didn’t ask about his contract, we were just talking about other things, where he’s training at and we ended up talking about sneakers for a little bit because we’re both sneaker-heads, so that was our entire conversation.”

The 49ers star also said Samuel is “in a good place,” and he gave his overall outlook on the situation. Basically, “it is what it is,” per Kittle:

“He seems like he’s in a good place,” Kittle said. “I think Deebo knows this team loves him, we’d love to have him here, and if he wants to play somewhere else then hey, it is what it is. It’s a business, so I wish him nothing but the best of luck if he goes somewhere else.”

Samuel is set to enter the final season of his rookie contract. He's seeking a mammoth contract extension and initially didn't seem too keen on signing a deal to stay in San Francisco. The wide receiver did recently refollow the 49ers on Instagram, so perhaps his outlook on the matter has softened. We'll see how this all plays out.