The Texans are among the teams with "significant interest" in trading for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Samuel, a former first-team All-Pro for the Niners, has been the subject of trade rumors since last month when he requested. According to Schultz, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos have also checked in with San Francisco.
But the Texans and Washington Commanders are believed to be the most aggressive in their pursuit for Samuel, with talks progressing in recent days, according to Schultz.
Samuel's played through injuries in recent years and has yet to come close to replicating his All-Pro season in 2021, when he recorded 1,405 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns. In 15 games last season, Samuel had 670 receiving yards and just four touchdowns.
Longtime Bay Area sports columnist Tim Kawakami told our sister station 95.7 The Game that the Niners were not happy with Samuel's weight at the end of last season, even before the trade request.
In reality, Kawakami believes that some of the 49ers' brass has likely been ready to part ways with Samuel. The team explored trading him last year.
"I think some people in the 49ers front office probably have been ready to trade Deebo for a while now, and if he doesn't want to take less money, then they're not going to have him on the team anymore," Kawakami said. "I think that is generally what is happening above and beyond anything else is going on...
"I just don't think the Deebo thing is specifically tied to any other thing the 49ers are going through at receiver. I think both sides kind of are ready to not be in business with each other."
The major complicating factor is that Samuel would cost north of $31 million in dead money this year if he was traded or cut before June 1, and he has a $15.4 million option bonus due March 22, 10 days after the new league year begins.
The 49ers won't have much interest in paying that, so what they could (or will likely do) is designate him as a post-June 1 cut to avoid that option bonus, and save north of $5 million by cutting him. That money just wouldn't be available until June 1. They could also save that much by trading him after June 1, but that would mean paying that option bonus, and likely getting draft compensation for next year's draft.
