With just eight days to go until the 2022 NFL Draft, the first round may have just dramatically shifted. In the ever-revolving carousel that is the offseason, Deebo Samuel has officially requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers.
The news comes after the star wideout scrubbed all images of the Niners from his Instagram page, along with his brother Tyquan Samuel commenting that “we asking for a trade.” In a season where Samuel truly put the league on notice, it comes as a major surprise to both the Niner Faithful and the NFL community, considering the promising talent and coaching for a team that nearly appeared in the Super Bowl twice in his three seasons.
San Francisco wants to pay Deebo Samuel,” wrote NFL insider Adam Schefter, adding, “but Deebo Samuel was the one who scrubbed the 49ers logos off his social media page.” The versatile “wide-back” has been in talks with the team for some time now but has made it clear that he will not play for anything less than a $25m USD per year deal. Seeing that Samuel saved the Niners in a handful of situations this past season, he certainly has the leverage. However, there are a number of contracts the Niners still need to address, such as star rusher Nick Bosa and what to do with Jimmy Garoppolo.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero provided a theory to Samuel’s frustration:
“It sounds like there’s multiple layers to this. But certainly one of them is Deebo Samuel wants to be a receiver and not a receiver/running back. His rushing attempts were significantly up last season from where they’ve been in the past. We all know that he’s a really, really physical player, but there probably are some concerns here about longevity. The counterpoint to that, of course, is that part of the reason that Deebo Samuel is so valuable is because he’s versatile. … But in the big picture, it sounds like the role is part of the reason that Deebo wants to play somewhere else, where he may just be a true wide receiver and potentially tack on some years to his career.”
Ultimately, Samuel is still under contract, so the Niners don’t necessarily have to trade him, but seeing similar situations unfold around the league can only spell trouble. Keep your eyes peeled as the story develops in lieu of the NFL Draft next week.
