And then there was one.With DK Metcalf signing a with the Seahawks on Thursday, only one star receiver is still due for a new contract ahead of the 2022 NFL season: 49ers Swi s Army knife Deebo Samuel.Samuel who, like Metcalf, is entering the final year of his rookie contract is in line to secure a similar deal after earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2021 with 1,770 total yards and 14 touchdowns from scrimmage. The 49ers have made Domingo Santana Jersey it known that it's more a question of "when" rather than "if" Samuel gets his pay day, and Thursday's Metcalf news will only further pre sure San Francisco to get a deal done.The pre sing questions about Samuel are: When he will get his new deal? What kind of extension he can expect to receive? The answers to those questions will put a bow on what has been an offseason of record-setting contracts at wide receiver.MORE: With that, The Sporting News looks at what's next for Samuel, how Metcalf's extension affects his negotiations and what the 49ers need to do to secure their star receiver for the foreseeable future:First, it's important to note that Samuel likely will not follow the models of and , who received ma sive contract upgrades after being traded from Green Bay to Las Vegas and Kansas City to Miami, respectively.San Francisco general manager John Lynch has said in no uncertain terms that the team does not want to part ways with Samuel, especially as it moves from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo ."We've had really productive and substantive talks," Lynch said Tuesday, per . "I don't want to get everyone all excited that something is imminent, because we're not there yet. (We're) really hopeful that in the near future, we'll be able to announce something that is exciting for everyone involved."So, Samuel will get an extension with the 49ers as opposed to a trade to another team. How, then, will Metcalf's extension affect Samuel's contract negotiations with them?At the very least, the 49ers have to be aware the most versatile weapon in their arsenal is the last receiver this Yovani Gallardo Jersey offseason to receive an extension. That status certainly can't make the team comfortable.More importantly, Samuel is represented by Metcalf's agent, Tory Dandy, who now has the blueprint for negotiations with San Francisco. It's a small, but not insignificant, step in the right direction for both Samuel and the 49ers.MORE: The 49ers have good news and bad news with regard to an extension for Samuel.The bad news is that San Francisco has the third-lowest salary cap space available of any team, Burch Smith Jersey a paltry $4.29 million. That leaves the 49ers almost nothing with which to work.The good news: San Francisco can free up $24.2 million in cap space simply by releasing Garoppolo, whose contract includes no more guarantees. That said, the 49ers' refusal thus far to cut him suggests they want to get something anything of value for a QB who could be an intriguing option for some teams.Unfortunately for Garoppolo, teams have been hesitant to take on that hefty contract while he is completing his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery. The Browns, who once made the most sense to acquire Garoppolo, . The Seahawks are a potential trade partner but likely wouldn't want to trade significant draft capital to a division rival.Moreover, the Seahawks don't have the salary cap space ($18.23 million) to handle Garoppolo's contract. He would need to agree to a pay cut or have the 49ers agree to eat some of his contract (an unlikely outcome, as San Francisco's top priority is freeing up space for Samuel).For now, it seems as if the 49ers will cut him only as a Keston Hiura Jersey last resort. Meanwhile, Samuel waits.MORE: This is the (multi)million-dollar question. The wide receiver market has been written and rewritten and rewritten all offseason, with several receiving deals worth well above $100 million.Expect Samuel to get an extension of three to four years with a sizable signing bonus, which will allow the 49ers spread out the cap hit over the course of the deal. A look at the biggest contracts given out to receivers this offseason:PlayerLengthSalaryAAVGuaranteedTyreek Hill4 years$120 million$30 million$72.2 millionDavante Adams5 years$141 million$28 million$65.7 million3 years$80 million$26.7 million$75 million4 years$104 million$26 million$70 million4 years$100 million$25 million$57.22 millionTerry McLaurin3 years$71 million$23.3 million$53 millionDK Metcalf3 years Jeremy Jeffress Jersey $72 million$24 million$58.2 millionDeebo SamuelTBDTBDTBDTBDSamuel surprisingly is among the least productive of the upper-tier receivers from the 2019 NFL Draft cla s, ranking last in receptions, fifth in yards and last in touchdowns.PlayerReceptionsYardsTDsDK Metcalf2163,17029Terry McLaurin2223,09016A.J. Brown1852,99524Diontae Johnson2542,76420Deebo Samuel1672,59810Marquise Brown1952,36121That said, Samuel has something none of the other receivers has: a first-team All-Pro selection. That's thanks to a 2021 campaign in which Samuel led the NFL with an astounding 18.2 yards per reception. He compiled 1,405 yards and six touchdowns receiving, adding 59 rushes for 365 yards (an impre sive 6.2 yards per carry) and eight touchdowns.In all, Samuel had 1,770 yards and 14 touchdowns from scrimmage. It's uncertain how that production has affected negotiations, especially considering he had just a decent first season in the league and was limited by injuries in his second.But that All-Pro season and recent developments in the receiver market can only mean good things for Samuel. Related Articles