SANTA CLARA, Calif. – A day after taking to social media to attribute the drop in production to a lack of opportunities, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel stood by his claim Tuesday.

On Monday afternoon, Samuel wrote on

As the Niners prepared to face the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, Samuel was asked if he wanted to provide further clarification on his posts.

“You read what you read,” said Samuel. “(I’m) definitely a little frustrated.”

Samuel’s frustration stems from a lack of performance the likes of which he hasn’t experienced since the start of his rookie season. Over the last four games, Samuel has had 97 yards from the point of attack on 17 touches, an average of 5.7 yards per touch. Samuel never went beyond 35 yards of offense in any of those four contests, finishing with 21, 21, 20 and 35 yards against Seattle, Green Bay, Buffalo and Chicago, respectively.

It’s the first time in five games in 2019 that Samuel hasn’t had at least 50 yards from scrimmage in four straight games. Even during that span in 2019 — Weeks 3 through 9, including the bye — Samuel still had plays from 44, 48 and 40 yards.

On Tuesday, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said that while he would prefer that Samuel keep such complaints in-house, he and Samuel talk every day and those conversations often include his involvement in games.

“I understand Deebo saying that,” Shanahan said. “Deebo wants to help us and the only way he can help us is by getting the ball more. We’d like to see him more.”

“Is it a distraction in our building? No. …My advice is not to let the outside world frustrate you because simply answering these things will not help you in any way. Usually it only harms you. But as far as what we’re dealing with, our relationships and our team, it’s water under the bridge.”

In terms of chances, the numbers show that Samuel’s touches have declined slightly this year, although not significantly. However, they show a big decline from his best season in 2021.

Samuel is averaging six touches per game in 12 games in 2024, a slight decrease from the 6.5 he averaged in the 2023 regular season and a large decrease from the 7.5 he had in 2022, and the 8.5 he achieved in 2021.

However, with the decline in chances came Samuel being less productive when he had the ball in his hands. His 53.8 scrimmage yards per game represent the lowest mark of his career, and his two touchdowns would be his second-lowest total, barring an injury-plagued 2020.

Part of this decline can be attributed to Samuel’s inability to gain yards after catch and yards after contact as consistently as he has in the past.

On his 32 carries, Samuel is averaging just 1.28 yards after contact per rush, which would easily be below the 2.07 average he posted in 2023, the lowest of his career. On his 40 balls, Samuel gained 7.6 yards after the catch, which would also be below his previous low of 8.3 yards, which he set as a rookie in 2019.

Samuel’s ineffectiveness as a runner has also limited his versatility, as he only manages 2.9 yards per carry. The element of using Samuel as a curveball in the backfield appears to be long gone.

“You’re not surprised anymore,” Samuel said. “We’ve been doing this for almost three years now, so you kind of have a 50/50 chance whether I’m in the backfield and get a handoff, or an end-around, or anything like that.”

With four games remaining, Samuel’s teammates made it clear they still needed him to provide the final push toward the postseason. Running backs Christian McCaffrey (right knee) and Jordan Mason (ankle) and wideout Brandon Aiyuk (right ACL) are out for the season, and while tight end George Kittle and receiver Jauan Jennings have helped pick up the slack, Samuel is counting on that to get more opportunities on the route.

Kittle said Samuel was “very close” to a big game against the Bears last week, but a different defensive performance than Chicago after the coaching change took away some of those chances. Kittle added that Samuel, who has averaged 88.2 scrimmage yards and scored seven touchdowns in nine career games against the Rams, is “close to breaking out.”

It’s an idea that Samuel said Tuesday: “If it comes to it, it comes.”

“He’s like one of my best friends on this team,” quarterback Brock Purdy said. “I absolutely love Deebo and what he has done for me and helped me. We talk all the time and I think he’s right. He’s making great progress at the moment with what we’re asking him to do offensively. And he’s not having any problems or anything.” … I guess there are just moments throughout the season where guys just can’t get to the ball, depending on what the scheme or the defensive strategy is, and they give them take the boys away.

“I want to get Deebo the ball every game if I can. I want him to break all the records as best as possible. I want Deebo to do Deebo things, and we all do that in this building. That’s just how the games are. “But I love my husband and I’ll do everything I can to get him the ball.