The Deebo Samuel/49ers relationship has been slowly deteriorating in recent weeks and on Wednesday, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported that Samuel has indeed requested a trade.
The 26-year-old is coming off a breakout season, in which he was a Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro after being used as a dual-threat as a receiver and rusher for San Francisco last season.
Samuel finished with 77 catches for 1,405 yards and six receiving touchdowns while rushing for 365 yards and eight touchdowns.
It is evident Samuel is a game-changing receiver due to his versatility and plenty of teams ought to be jumping at the chance to get him.
Here’s a look at potential landing spots:
New York Jets
The Jets have aggressively been seeking a wide receiver this offseason and were reportedly finalists in the Tyreek Hill sweepstakes. The Jets have all the tools to get a trade done, too. They have the draft capital and tons of cap space to ink Samuel to the long-term deal he seeks.
Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur was the 49ers’ passing game coordinator during Samuel’s first two seasons with the team and is familiar with him and how he can best be used. Not to mention Samuel would give the Jets a dynamic offensive weapon they desperately seek.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs traded away their No. 1 wide receiver in Tyreek Hill, so replacing him with Deebo Samuel certainly makes a lot of sense. Like Hill, Samuel brings plenty of versatility and could be used in a variety of ways, something Andy Reid will most certainly not shy away from. The Chiefs have had one of the NFL’s best offenses over the years and the potential addition of Samuel will most likely keep it that way.
But part of the reason the Chiefs traded Hill was because they could not come to terms on an extension. Samuel wants out of San Francisco because he wants a long-term deal. Do the Chiefs have the money, or at least willing to put up the money to commit to Samuel for that long?
Houston Texans
The Texans have been among the teams that have reportedly shown interest in Samuel. Houston, like the Jets, own two first-round picks in next week’s draft and could certainly use one of them to package a deal for him. They also have a ton of caps space to get a long-term extension done.
Currently, Brandin Cooks is the team’s top wide receiver. While the Texans are most definitely in a rebuilding stage, the addition of Samuel would at least give the team some star power and a piece to build around that could maybe draw others to the team.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons do have a void to fill at wide receiver with Calvin Ridley out for the year due to suspension, and Samuel would fit in nicely as the top receiver in a corps that is rather lacking outside of tight end Kyle Pitts.
The Falcons do have Cordarrelle Patterson, who has essentially the same skill set as Samuel, although Samuel is by far the better receiver and could be used in a more traditional sense. Would things get too crowded with too similar of players in the same offense? Or would it allow the Falcons more options and creativity?
Patterson is also seven years older, so Samuel could be an investment toward the future in a franchise that is in the midst of a rebuild.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have CeeDee Lamb as their No. 1 option but they parted ways with Amari Cooper earlier this offseason and could be in the market on adding another bona fide receiving threat to their arsenal.
While Michael Gallup could certainly be a strong No. 2 option, bringing in Samuel would give the Cowboys a versatile weapon and one of the best receiving corps in football. For a team that is determined to win a Super Bowl, adding another explosive weapon to the offense could be what puts them over the top.
And Samuel certainly seems like he would want to be in Dallas. The wide receiver has already been caught liking a photo of himself photoshopped in a Cowboys uniform on Twitter shortly after news broke that he requested a trade.
The question is: would the Joneses be willing to give up what it would take to get someone like Samuel? It may be a tough trigger for them to pull, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
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