Three reasons why a Deebo Samuel-Chiefs trade makes sense
Deebo Sameul's potential holdout from the 49ers has been a hot topic over the last week or so and was given new life this week after ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that Samuel -along with other second-year wideouts Terry McLaurin and A.J. Brown- will not participate in offseason activities. This is to show their respective […]
Deebo Sameul's potential holdout from the 49ers has been a hot topic over the last week or so and was given new life this week after ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that Samuel -along with other second-year wideouts Terry McLaurin and A.J. Brown- will not participate in offseason activities. This is to show their respective teams that they're serious about wanting a new deal.
Naturally, talks surrounding his future with the 49ers have picked up again.
The thought of a Deebo Samuel trade is almost impossible to fathom. The staff absolutely loves him and he is the 49ers' offense, as well as a top-5 playmaker in the NFL.
But, according to NBC Sports' Matt Maiocco, the 49ers are willing to trade anyone for the right price.
Now, whether or not that means a trade package that only the Elon Musks of the NFL world can afford is a different story. And there's a difference between being willing to listen and actually listening.
But, if there is one team that could make the deal, however, it's the Chiefs. And there are three reasons why a trade could happen.
Samuel is a great fit for the Chiefs offense
The Chiefs don't have a do-it-all receiver on the roster. Mecole Hardman and Marquez Valdes-Scantling are primarily deep threats. JuJu Smith-Schuster is an underneath/over-the-middle receiver. Travis Kelce can do-it-all, but from the tight end position, not the receiver position, obviously.
Samuel immediately provides the Chiefs with a No. 1 pass-catching option and he can fill the role that Tyreek Hill left behind. He can stretch the field or make contested catches over the middle. He can take the ball out of the backfield and is deadly after the catch.
There's very little Samuel can't do at the end of the day. Setting him up with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense would be must-see TV.
The Chiefs aren't in the NFC
There is zero chance that anyone within the NFC West lands Deebo Samuel in a trade and there's a minute chance, at best, that the 49ers deal him within the conference.
To repeat from earlier: There's little chance they trade Samuel, at all. But, if they do trade him, it will be to an AFC team.
Now, it's very plausible the 49ers don't want to trade him to a contender such as the Chiefs. I mean, you don't have to go very far back to think of the reason why.
However, "the right price" often offsets hesitance and the one team that can offer "the right price" just happens to be the Chiefs…
The Chiefs have the draft picks to pull off the trade
Kansas City has eight picks in the first four rounds and there's not one round that's particularly heavy – they have two picks in each of the first four rounds.
Don't get me wrong – the Chiefs are going to have to sell the farm in order to obtain Samuel via trade. But there's certainly a reality where they still have a reasonable amount of picks to work with afterward. It's not like San Francisco would completely clean out the cupboard.
All of this makes sense, however, there are two big obstacles in the way of making it happen
Money and other needs are what kill this deal. Samuel reportedly wants to be the highest paid non-quarterback in the league and the Chiefs have several areas of the roster in need of young talent.
Well, guess who that currently is? That's right. None other than Hill, himself.
Why would the Chiefs pay Samuel more than $30 million per year (that's what Hill makes) when they couldn't/didn't want to pay Hill that much? Samuel is younger, yes, but his injury history is much deeper than Hill's, which arguably offsets Samuel's only perceived advantage.
The Chiefs also need a lot of help at the cornerback position and they also need help with the pass rush and even safety. Samuel would shore up the need at receiver, but the Chiefs wouldn't be able to fill the other gaps without their draft picks. And I don't have inside information, but I'm willing to be the Chiefs only have three of those first eight picks in the four rounds, at best, if a trade were to go through.
Overall, there are several components that work and make sense, but the Chiefs are better off holding on to their cap space and draft picks in the long run.
Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
