On April 20, 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel requested a trade. 10 days later, the 49ers have yet to strike a deal to send him away.
The 49ers were reportedly offered two trades this week centered around the first round of the NFL draft, but the offers didn’t spark enough interest, general manager John Lynch said. One of those teams was reportedly the Jets, and they opted to pick up Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson with the No. 10 pick offered to the 49ers during on Thursday night. The other team was the Lions, although details of the offer have not been reported. Detroit drafted defensive end Aidan Hutchinson at No. 2, and wide receiver Jameson Williams at No. 12.
Based on what Lynch said about the trade offers already presented, it doesn’t sound like there’s anything too promising for Samuel right now, as the draft enters its final day.
“You’ll consider anything,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said, via ESPN. “You’ve got a responsibility to help your organization the most you can, but there’s no player like Deebo. It’s hard to see how that helps your organization. So, you try to look into all the aspects of it and what people are willing to do and nothing was even remotely close that we thought it would be fair for the Niners.”
Shanahan and Lynch have yet to publicly discuss what sparked Samuel’s trade request, though according to reports, he has issues with the 49ers using him as both a wide receiver and running back in the offense.
The 49ers did not have a first round pick, but they made three selections on Friday, including a receiver: SMU’s Danny Gray. According to ESPN, Samuel was responsible for 28% of the team’s yards from scrimmage in 2021. Gray’s addition may help lighten the veteran receiver’s load in 2022.
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Two blockbuster trades occurred on Thursday night, with receiver Marquise Brown traded to the Cardinals, and A.J. Brown traded to the Eagles. Samuel remains the top receiver potentially waiting for a trade.
“I think all these situations are unique,” Lynch said. “You’re obviously aware of what’s going on around the league, but we were focused on our situation. We tried to do what was right there. We believe we did and we believe that we can find a way through this and it will all be good. So, we’re encouraged about that.”
Samuel finished his third season in the league with 77 catches for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns while leading the NFL in yards per catch (18.2). He also rushed for 365 yards and eight touchdowns on 59 carries.
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