Just like Myles Garrett, Deebo Samuel has apparently requested a trade out of San Francisco, as he’s coming up to the final year of his deal and wants to both get paid and play for a team in better position perhaps to be a Super Bowl contender next year.
Jennifer Lee Chan from NBC Sports Bay Area has been all over our radar here in DC since last year’s Brandon Aiyuk rumors, and now, with Deebo in the crosshairs, she gave BMitch & Finlay a look at what’s going on this time.
“Deebo is one of those guys who can make a difference on the field. In that 2021 season, he was the offense, and everything fell and landed and moved where he moved, but since then, his production has gone down a little bit,” Chan said. “He’s dealt with a few injuries here and there, but that's also because of the way he plays. Going back to when he was drafted, Will Muschamp, his coach at South Carolina, told Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch that Deebo is an amazing football player, but you have to stay on him in the offseason; he can go up and down and his weight, and he’s a guy that coaches have to stay on to make sure that he is the best player he can possibly be.”
Samuel can be a ‘game-changer,’ or at baseline a really good player, but you also have to understand who he is, how he plays, and why he’s that way - but what is that worth, and where could they look to trade him?
When it comes to next year, too, Chan did say that out in San Fran, it was a surprise how things unfolded last season because many expected the Niners to keep rolling despite their injuries, they just couldn’t get it done – and now, Brock Purdy’s due to get paid, so does that change the calculus?
“There was not one game where all of their starters were on the field at the same time, and that’s a crazy stat in itself, and Brock’s message to everybody on locker cleanout day was like, hey, I want to get this done as fast as possible without any drama, which we've seen from the past,” Chan said. “He wants to hit the ground running in OTAs and have more time with guys like Ricky Pearsall, who he didn't have a lot of reps with during the offseason last year, and hopefully, Brandon Aiyuk gets back and he's healthier. But he really wants to get more time on the field, and I think they're really going to try and work on getting a deal done as soon as possible. I know there's a lot of thought out there that $60 million is insane for a guy who was drafted last, but when you look at the percentage of the cap, it makes sense; with the cap going up to $272 million, 20 to 22 percent is right about where quarterbacks all make their money, so that’s around where it’s going to be.”
Take a listen to Chan’s entire visit and chat about the 49ers’ situation above!