San Francisco 49ers superstar receiver Deebo Samuel isn't only holding out of voluntary offseason workouts due to an impasse in contract negotiations. According to an ESPN report, the 26-year-old playmaker no longer wants to play for the franchise, as he recently requested a trade, for reasons he's yet to reveal. Samuel is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and several star wideouts have received massive paydays this offseason.
Although the 49ers have expressed interest in keeping Samuel well beyond the 2022 season, drama between both sides has been brewing. Earlier this month, Samuel removed all team-related pictures and content from his own Instagram account, and also unfollowed San Francisco's social media page. Following the social media scrubbing, the public learned of his decision to skip team workouts already underway. Suffice to say, his future is in limbo.
"I'm all for player empowerment, trying to find your power and get paid in the process. But I also can't ignore the fact that there's consequences when you do that," Maggie Gray said during Maggie and Perloff on Wednesday. "If it's about money, say it's about money... They're saying no, Deebo's camp, it's about his role. So that leads us to believe it was him playing running back. Running between the tackles and setting yourself up for more injury risk..."
"I think it still could be about money. Kyle Shanahan has rubbed some people the wrong way -- you think he might not like the coach?" Andrew Perloff said. "Or, does he possibly not like this Jimmy G going away, and going to a young quarterback, and thinks it'll sort of take numbers away. I feel like he's going to look at that and say, 'Wait, I'm going into my contract year. Trey Lance's going to tuck the ball and run a lot, and I'm going to go down by 20-percent.'"
Samuel, who was drafted 36th overall by the 49ers back in 2019, is coming off an incredible breakthrough season. In 16 games, the dynamic wideout racked up 1,405 receiving yards -- the NFL's fifth-highest mark -- with six touchdowns and a league-best 18.2 yards per reception. Samuel also showcased his talent as a backfield threat, rushing for 365 yards with eight touchdowns -- a league single-season record for a receiver.
With stellar contributions from Samuel, the 49ers (10-7) clinched an NFC wild card berth, and managed to reach the conference title game against the rival Los Angeles Rams. Samuel's cap hit for the 2022 season is only $4.8 million, and Spotrac has listed his current market value at $89 million over four years. Under these terms, he'd become the league's fifth-highest paid wideout and the 28th-highest paid player.
Maggie and Perloff's complete thoughts on Samuel's trade market and future can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Maggie and Perloff Show on Twitter @MaggieandPerl and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.