Latest Deebo Samuel report addresses chances of history repeating itself following 49ers wide receiver's trade request
For the second time in his NFL career, Deebo Samuel has requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers. The only difference is this time it's serious. Reports emerged on Sunday that Samuel had been granted permission by the 49ers to find a trade partner, the wide receiver having reportedly requested a trade during his […]
For the second time in his NFL career, Deebo Samuel has requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers. The only difference is this time it's serious.
Reports emerged on Sunday that Samuel had been granted permission by the 49ers to find a trade partner, the wide receiver having reportedly requested a trade during his exit meeting following a hugely disappointing 6-11 season for San Francisco.
The fact the 49ers gave Samuel the green light makes it very different to his first trade request in 2022, which came during fractious contract negotiations over an extension following a first-team All-Pro season.
San Francisco was in no mood to oblige such a request at that point and the 49ers and Samuel eventually came to terms on an extension.
But with Samuel coming off a down year in which he struggled to showcase the kind of dynamic playmaking ability that has largely defined his career — finishing with just 806 yards and four touchdowns, a year on from scoring 12 times — the 49ers were always likely to be more amenable to a trade request in an offseason in which they are set to make Brock Purdy one of the highest-paid players in the NFL and seemingly hand a contract extension to All-Pro tight end George Kittle.
However, Samuel's contract is a difficult one for the 49ers to trade, as doing so would see them incur a $31 million dead cap hit.
San Francisco could simply release Samuel as a post-June 1 cut if Samuel is unable to find a trade partner. Taking that course of action would see the Niners save $5 million against the cap while incurring a dead cap charge of $10.75 million.
But the 49ers may not love the idea of losing Samuel for nothing, so is there a chance of history repeating itself and San Francisco hanging on to Samuel again?
Not according to Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard.
Kawakami wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday: "Checked around a little on the Deebo Samuel situation — I asked if this is at all similar to 2022, when he asked to be traded, the 49ers looked, but then he came back on a new deal.
"I'm told, no, this is not similar. Everybody's set for Deebo to be an ex-49er soon."
Samuel's name came up in trade discussions around last year's NFL Draft and the frustrating thing for the 49ers is that they would have been able to command a much higher price for his services at that point than they will likely receive now.
But nobody could blame San Francisco for wanting to hang on to a player of his talents after a prolific season that ended in a Super Bowl run. Now it seems as if the 49ers will bite the bullet in some fashion and either trade Samuel for a late-round pick or accept letting him go for nothing.
It will be a difficult pill for swallow, albeit one made easier by Samuel's dip in production and it becoming increasingly obvious that he is no longer a perfect fit for an offense that has evolved into a more dropback-heavy attack with Brock Purdy at quarterback. History will not repeat itself when it comes to the Samuel trade request, and that should ultimately prove to be a good thing for both sides.
