49ers WR Deebo Samuel says he’s open to trying new position

Many assume if the San Francisco 49ers sign receiver Brandon Aiyuk to a massive long-term contract extension, the team will look to trade its other star wideout Deebo Samuel next offseason.

But the 49ers may want to rethink that proposition, especially if Samuel makes himself even more invaluable to the offense and learns to play a third position: kick returner.

The 28-year-old, who works mainly as a wideout but also lines up as a running back from time to time, isn’t opposed to the idea. In fact, he’s all for trying it out during training camp and seeing how things shake out.

“I wouldn't mind doing it from the get-go,” Samuel told reporters on Friday. “I'm a team-first player, so if Kyle (Shanahan) was like, ‘Hey, man, we don't want you to do it full-time, we just use you whenever we really need it,’ I'm fine with that. But if you want to use me full-time, I'm all for that as well.”