The 49ers are expected to trade Deebo Samuel – and he may not be the only receiver dealt out of San Francisco.
Following a trade request from Samuel at the end of the season, 49ers GM John Lynch said this week at the NFL Combine that the organization would ‘honor’ the pᴀss-catcher’s wish.
But his fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk could also now be traded, with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting that the 49ers were open to offers for the 26-year-old.
Aiyuk had a career year in 2023 as he totaled 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns before inking a four-year, $120million extension the following offseason.
Before landing that deal, however, he held out of training camp, and showed signs of rust as he dropped five pᴀsses in the first seven weeks of 2024.
His season would ultimately end in Week 7 as he suffered a torn ACL.
Deebo Samuel looks set to leave the 49ers after requesting a trade out of San Francisco
And the franchise is reportedly open to dealing away WR Brandon Aiyuk as well
49ers GM John Lynch did not deny that the team had engaged in trade talks surrounding Aiyuk
Speaking on NFL Network, Rapoport said to ‘keep an eye on’ the Aiyuk situation, though he did not name any specific teams who could be interested.
Lynch did not deny that trade talks surrounding Aiyuk have occurred, telling reporters ‘you always listen to calls’ and saying the 49ers’ roster needed to get younger.
The Steelers were interested in Aiyuk last summer and even had a deal in place to trade for him (before he ultimately decided to remain in San Francisco), Rapoport reported at the time.
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Meanwhile, Lynch said this week that the franchise was on ‘good terms’ with Samuel as they seemingly work to find him a new team.
‘I don’t like seeing great players (leave), and he is a great player,’ Lynch told reporters. ‘I think often one of my favorite draft picks of my time. He makes plays and he makes game-changing plays. Everything’s good, but at some point, time happens. He asked for that.
‘It probably makes sense, so we’re at least allowing him to look. We’re having conversations, and we’ll see where that goes.’
Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz has reported that the Texans and Commanders are interested in the 29-year-old, while the Broncos and Steelers have also ‘checked in.’
Without Samuel and Aiyuk, the 49ers’ pᴀssing attack would likely rely on тιԍнт end George Kittle and Jauan Jennings, who posted a career-high 975 receiving yards in 2024. The team also owns seven selections in the upcoming NFL Draft.
The Swiss Army knife Samuel has racked up 5,935 scrimmage yards and 42 touchdowns since being drafted in 2019, lining up out wide and in the backfield at times as well.
He averaged a career-low 44.7 receiving yards per game last season.