Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Did you enjoy your two-day break from the Deebo Samuel saga? The San Francisco 49ers didn’t trade their dynamic wide receiver during the draft. If it was going to happen, most figured a move would be made on Thursday night during the first round.
There were interested parties. There were offers. However, none were enticing enough to pry away Samuel, who recently requested a trade. The best offer reportedly came from the New York Jets, and it was laughable.
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On Saturday, general manager John Lynch was asked if the team had received any more calls regarding their disgruntled receiver and if anything had changed with the situation.
“There wasn’t,” Lynch responded. “Nothing’s changed.”
Lynch appears correct about that. Nothing has changed. Samuel reportedly still seeks to relocate NFL teams.
On Sunday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler provided an update on the Samuel situation, stating that the receiver remains “dug in” on leaving the 49ers. Unfortunately, that means the saga could drag on until a resolution is reached.
“It appears he is still dug in, still wants to be traded despite getting through the draft,” Fowler said on SportsCenter. “But he knows this could be a long wait now that the 49ers did not do a deal. … The Jets were the strongest suitor throughout this but when the 49ers didn’t take their offer, they went with Garrett Wilson with the 10th overall pick instead. They got their wide receiver.
“Teams like the Lions and Packers did explore this. They filled their need in the draft at wide receiver, so there’s not a natural suitor right now. Perhaps they can try to repair the relationship. It has soured. The 49ers would like for that to happen.
“I talked to a team source who said, ‘Look, we couldn’t break the huddle without Deebo Samuel last year, and we love him on and off the field.’ So something is just amiss here. Maybe they can work it out, but right now, he still wants to be traded.”
If Samuel remains intent on playing elsewhere, San Francisco may have missed their opportunity to cash in while the star player’s stock is hot. Trading him for a 2023 draft pick when no one will know teams’ draft positions until after the upcoming season is less desirable.
The 49ers did use one of their nine draft picks on a wide receiver—Danny Gray of SMU. But no one is expecting him to be a Deebo Samuel replacement.
San Francisco’s head coach remains confident that the 49ers’ relationship with Samuel can be mended.
“It’s part of the business,” Kyle Shanahan said of the rift after admitting that he has not spoken to Samuel in weeks. “There are certain things people have got to go through. There are certain things that everyone is trying to get and trying to do. And then you see what you can [do], and you work from there. You can work out anything.
“Hopefully, when this is all said and done, we’ll get the best thing for the Niners, the best thing for Deebo. Hopefully, that’s the same thing because we’d love to keep going how we’ve been. But we know that’s in front of us right now.”
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