It appears increasingly likely that Deebo Samuel will be traded this offseason.
Teams are talking to each other at the Combine about a wide range of scenarios involving the NFL Draft, trades and free agency, and 49ers general manager John Lynch is allowing Samuel to find his next team.
âWeâre at least allowing him to look,â Lynch said. âWeâre on good terms with Deebo. Heâs asked for a fresh start, and I think weâre going to honor that. I donât like seeing great players leave, and he is a great player.â
With the 49ers prepared to honor Samuelâs trade request, teams will surely be lining up to try to acquire a receiver of his quality.
He and Rams receiver Cooper Kupp are likely the two best receiving options available via trade this offseason.
Lynch added that âthereâs been a lot of interest around the leagueâ for Samuel, implying that conversations have already been had.
Samuel appears to want a trade due to frustration with his role in San Francisco.
Heâs coming off the worst âmostlyâ healthy season of his career, playing in 15 games and only accumulating 670 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Contending teams with receiver needs include the Commanders, Steelers and Broncos, each of which needs a No. 2 wideout.
The veteran is in the last year of his contract, which will pay him $23.8 million, so any acquiring team would be paying him fringe top receiver money.
