Deebo Samuel

San Francisco 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel confirmed Sunday that the team has given him permission to seek a trade. But his time with the organization is likely over even if such a deal doesn't materialize.

As Albert Breer of SI.com reported Monday, the Niners "could cut him if the right offer doesn't come along, with Brandon Aiyuk now signed long-term and the team's 2024 first-round pick, Ricky Pearsall, having already flashed his potential."

That would be a shocking time to Samuel's end in San Francisco, though as Breer noted, "his injury history, declining production, contract status (with a big, non-guaranteed number for next year, and his contract expiring after that), and San Francisco's depth of investment at the position made the former first-team All-Pro the most logical first piece to move."

The Niners are going to get a lot more expensive once Brock Purdy signs a long-term extension. In many ways, Christian McCaffrey's versatility in the pass and run game has taken away some of Samuel's importance to the team's offense. The Niners have solid options at wideout and a tight end in George Kittle who was fantastic in 2024. There are a lot of mouths to feed, both from a salary and touches perspective.

So the 29-year-old Samuel—who had a down year in 2024, catching 51 passes for 670 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 136 yards and a score in 15 games, despite Aiyuk and McCaffrey missing significant time due to injuries—is the odd man out.

No good deed goes unpunished.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel confirmed to ESPN's Adam Schefter he has requested a trade from the team. Schefter reported the Niners have allowed him and his agent to explore any deals.

Granting his wish and trading the 2021 All-Pro before June 1 will be costly for San Francisco since it would trigger a dead money hit of almost $31.6 million for the 2025 season. That would be added to the $16.6 million the team has set aside for players no longer on the roster. Defensive end Arik Armstead ($15.5 million) accounts for the biggest chunk of the total.

Whoever acquires Samuel, meanwhile, will be on the hook for his $17.5 million in salary earnings, though that's all non-guaranteed. Even though the 29-year-old is coming off a lackluster campaign, that's not a massive sum when elite wideouts are averaging $30 million annually.

If the Niners were focused primarily on the salary cap, then holding off a trade until June 2 or later would be the sensible course of action. In that situation, they'd spread his dead money across 2025 ($10.6 million) and 2026 ($20.4 millIon) and actually get $5.2 million in savings.

But general manager John Lynch will presumably want to get something done before the draft so he can immediately utilize the compensation he'll get for the star pass-catcher. This will become a bigger and bigger distraction the longer it carries into the offseason, too, thus raising the likelihood a resolution arrives before ahead of when the 2025 NFL draft starts on April 24.

NFL fans took a break from their Super Bowl LIX preparations on Sunday to discuss the fate of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

Samuel informed ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday that the 49ers granted him and agent Tory Dandy permission to seek a trade this offseason.

After requesting a trade during the Niners' season-ending exit meetings, Samuel told Schefter:

"It was a hard conversation to have with [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] because of the relationship that we have. But I have to do what's best. I'm more than thankful for the Niners giving me the opportunity of a lifetime, but now I think it's best that we find another team."

In response to the news, many fans took to X and debated the best landing spot for Samuel should he indeed get traded in the coming months:

Samuel, 29, sports a salary cap hit of $15.825 million in 2025, but he has only one year left on his contract, which could make it easier for receiver-needy teams to justify trading for him even though he is coming off a down year.

The former University of South Carolina standout is best remembered for his dominant 2021 campaign when he was named a Pro Bowler and First Team All-Pro for the first and only time.

Samuel set career highs with 77 receptions for 1,405 yards to go along with six touchdowns, plus he was a dominant force as a runner, rushing for 365 yards and eight scores.

In the three seasons since then, Samuel has missed multiple games due to injury each year, and he has not come close to replicating that level of success.

After finishing with 864 total yards and five touchdowns in 2022, Samuel did bounce back in 2023 with 1,117 total yards and 12 scores.

However, he struggled in 15 games during the 2024 campaign, recording 51 grabs for 670 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 136 yards and one touchdown.

It is fair to wonder if injuries and age are starting to catch up with Samuel, but there is still a strong argument to be made for him being worth the risk since he is not signed long term.

That fact should ensure that multiple teams are in on Samuel on the trade market, particularly those who believe they may be one offensive weapon away from championship contention.

Deebo Samuel has never played for an NFL team outside of the San Francisco 49ers, but that might change for the 2025 campaign.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday the NFC West team gave the wide receiver permission to seek a trade after Samuel requested one during his exit meeting following the 2024 season.

"It was a hard conversation to have with Kyle (Shanahan) because of the relationship that we have," Samuel said. "But I have to do what's best. I'm more than thankful for the Niners giving me the opportunity of a lifetime, but now I think it's best that we find another team."

This comes after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported San Francisco was "expected to explore trading" the 2019 second-round pick and that "both sides appear to be at peace with moving on if it goes that way."

Samuel also made headlines in December when he said in a since-deleted social-media post, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com, "Not struggling at all, just not getting the ball!"

He also said, "You read what you read. [I'm] a little frustrated for sure."

Samuel has been with the 49ers since they drafted him in 2019, and he helped lead the team to two Super Bowls during his tenure. However, this past season was a disappointing one, as the team went 6-11 and finished in last place in the division.

He also tallied 51 catches for 670 yards and three touchdowns as his numbers dropped across the board from his 60 catches for 892 yards and seven touchdowns during the 2023 campaign. His career-best season came when he was a Pro Bowler in 2021 with 77 catches for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns in addition to 365 yards and eight scores on the ground as a rusher.

From San Francisco's perspective, it surely would have preferred to see better production since Brandon Aiyuk was limited to just seven games in 2024.

It also might have taken steps toward life after Samuel by signing Aiyuk to an extension and drafting Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft ahead of the most recent campaign.

Yet a potential Samuel trade means another team will have the chance to land an impact receiver who is still just 29 years old. He can impact the game as a pass-catcher or runner and may be motivated to further prove himself with a change of scenery.

The San Francisco 49ers "are expected to explore trading" wide receiver Deebo Samuel, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

"While it's not a certainty that Samuel is done in San Francisco, it's enough of a possibility that both sides appear to be at peace with moving on if it goes that way," Rapoport said.

The 2021 All-Pro watched his production go backward this season. He caught 51 passes for 670 yards and three touchdowns in 15 appearances.

His usage was a point of contention for Samuel. In a since-deleted post on X in December, he said he was "not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!!" While the 29-year-old took down the message, he didn't walk back from the sentiment when addressing it publicly.

"You read what you read. [I'm] a little frustrated for sure," he told reporters on Dec. 10.

Should Samuel get traded, the writing was on the wall based on San Francisco's offseason business last year. The team used a first-round pick on Ricky Pearsall and then signed Brandon Aiyuk to a $120 million extension.

Although Aiyuk is recovering from ACL and MCL tears that ended his season after seven games, it looks like the organization is prepared to move forward with he and Pearsall as the top two options in the passing attack.

One complication in trading Samuel is that the Niners are incentivized to wait well past the draft to actually make the move.

Any trade before June 1 will put $31 million in dead money on the books and cost San Francisco $15.2 million against the salary cap. By executing the deal on June 2 or later, the team would spread the dead money hit across 2025 ($10.6 million) and 2026 ($20.4 million) while saving $5.2 million toward the cap.

A resolution to this situation could be a few months away.