Deebo Samuel: People say there's always next year, but it's not easy to get to Super Bowl
49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel has had some time to process the team's Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs, but he hasn't been totally able to move on to next season.
Samuel said on Up & Adams that "it's just so heartbreaking" to lose the Super Bowl for the second time in the last five years, but that he and other players have to be able to put it behind them as they look to the 2024 campaign. He acknowledged that it's easier said than done, which is also his feelings about people who say that there's always another chance to win it all.
“It’s kind of hard, because basically our job is football, so it’s just like, ‘All right, let’s use this as motivation where you get back in the lab just to put yourself in a position and try to do your best to get back,'" Samuel said. "People just say there’s always next year, but I heard that in 2019 and it took four more years to get where we're at. So, it’s not that easy as people think to get to the Super Bowl. It takes everything. It takes me, the coaches, the people upstairs, you bring people in to help. For everything to play out right, you’re not just gonna snap your hands and be back in the Super Bowl again."
The 49ers lost two straight NFC Championship Games before making it back to the Super Bowl in February, which only serves to illustrate Samuel's point about how difficult it is to get another chance at winning the Lombardi Trophy. This year's bid began with a change at defensive coordinator and the next few weeks will bring roster changes that will further impact the 49ers' chances at finally breaking through the final obstacle in their path.
