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San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle and former WR Deebo Samuel

Up until the final week of the regular season, some would argue the San Francisco 49ers were the best team in the NFC this season.

But a disappointing Week 17 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks cost them a division championship and the No. 1 seed in the conference.

Then in the playoffs, those same Seahawks sent the 49ers home with a dominant 41-6 win in the NFC divisional round. But some have questioned if the outcome would have been different if the 49ers had a healthy roster.

San Francisco played the divisional round without star edge-rusher Nick Bosa, All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, and Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle, among several others.

Kittle Teases Potential Deebo Samuel Reunion

GettySan Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle and former WR Deebo Samuel

In addition to having a healthy roster next season, the team is expected to upgrade a few key positions.

The 49ers will likely look to bolster their roster through free agency in early March, and during a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Kittle dropped a major hint about a familiar face the 49ers could look to add this offseason.

“My one message for Niners fans?” Kittle said. “Hey if a rebuild year got us 13 wins and a win in the wild card (round of the playoffs), that’s pretty good. It’s only going to get a little better from that. And all the boys are coming back again, and who knows, we might add some past friends. I don’t know, I hung out with Deebo last night — that was fun. I love Deebo, you kidding me.”

When asked point-blank if he wanted Samuel back on the team, Kittle was pretty direct.

“I love Deebo, that’s all I’m going to say,” he added.

Samuel spent the first six years of his career with the 49ers before being traded to the Washington Commanders for a fifth-round pick last offseason. During his 49ers tenure, Samuel totaled 334 receptions, 4,792 yards, and 22 touchdowns while rushing for another 1,143 yards and 20 touchdowns.

The 30-year-old wideout caught 72 passes for 727 yards and 5 touchdowns this year. He’s also set to hit free agency.

49ers’ Offseason Roster Outlook

San Francisco has 21 pending free agents, several of whom were key contributors this year.

Wide receivers Jauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne, offensive tackle Spencer Burford, offensive guard Ben Bartch, defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, and kicker Eddy Pineiro are among the team’s top free-agent priorities — and then there’s Aiyuk.

The star wide receiver didn’t play a down this year while recovering from ACL and MCL injuries the season prior. The 49ers also voided $24.935 million of Aiyuk’s guaranteed money, leading some to believe the two sides are heading toward a divorce this offseason.

With Jennings also likely looking for a raise, it’s possible the 49ers will be without their top two wide receivers heading into next season.

San Francisco has $42.9 million in cap space heading into the offseason, but it can gain another $17.1 million by restructuring Bosa’s contract and $15.75 million by restructuring offensive tackle Trent Williams’ deal.

Michael Gallagher Michael Gallagher is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He has more than a decade of experience working for both local and national news outlets covering the NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college football, and MMA. His work has been featured in Newsweek, Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, Athlon Sports, The Hockey News, the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, and Yardbarker. More about Michael Gallagher