Deebo Samuel

Amid speculation that Deebo Samuel could be on his way out of San Francisco via trade this offseason, 49ers general manager John Lynch expressed that he had no interest in trading Samuel.

According to ESPN's Nick Wagoner, Lynch said "the plan is to bring" Samuel back to the 49ers in 2025.

Samuel had a frustrating campaign in 2024, totaling just 670 receiving yards and three touchdowns on a career-low 51 receptions.

In December, a since-deleted social media post from Samuel read "Not struggling at all, just not getting the ball!"

"You read what you read," Samuel said when asked about the post. "[I'm] a little frustrated for sure."

The former Pro-Bowler clearly would have liked to see more targets this year, which led to speculation that he could request a trade at the end of the season.

Samuel had a breakout season in 2021 when he recorded 1,405 receiving yards and six touchdowns along with eight rushing touchdowns. The former Pro-Bowler clearly would have liked to see more targets this year, which led to speculation that he could request a trade at the end of the season. So far, Samuel has not asked out of San Francisco.

Even if the 49ers wanted to part ways with Samuel, it would cost a pretty penny thanks to his contract being restructured ahead of the 2024 season. If the Niners were to cut or trade Samuel, they would take on $31.6 million dead money while getting no cost savings in return, per Over the Cap.

They could save some money by cutting or trading him after June 1, but it would ultimately lead to more dead money down the road.

The financial implications of cutting or trading Samuel are likely on Lynch's mind, but the Niners are also likely holding on to hope that the former All-Pro receiver can return to his 2021 self.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy reportedly suffered a nerve issue in his right elbow late in Monday's 40-34 loss against the Detroit Lions and will undergo further testing on Tuesday, as head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters.

He wouldn't commit to Purdy playing in Week 18's regular-season finale against the Arizona Cardinals, leaving open the possibility that Purdy's season is over.

Purdy provided his own update after the game:

Since taking over as San Francisco's starter in the 2022 season, Purdy has largely stayed healthy. He was knocked out of the NFC Championship Game that season with a torn UCL but returned for the start of the 2023 season, throwing for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 16 games, ultimately guiding the Niners to the Super Bowl (he was rested in Week 18 with San Francisco assured the top overall seed).

He's largely been healthy this season as well, though he missed Week 12's 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers with soreness in his right shoulder.

Injuries and underachieving have been the prevailing storylines for San Francisco this year, with Brandon Aiyuk out for the year and players like Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel dealing with injuries throughout the campaign.

In the process, the Niners have gone just 6-10 on the season, a far cry from the team that went 12-5 last season and lost in the Super Bowl.

Josh Dobbs relieved Purdy on San Francisco's final drive of the game Monday night and seemingly would be in line to start next week as well, though Kyle Allen would also be a possibility.

Having restructured his contract before the 2024 NFL season kicked off, the San Francisco 49ers have a straightforward path to part ways with wide receiver Deebo Samuel if they need to create some much-needed salary cap space.

Cutting or trading the 2021 All-Pro is probably out of the question because it would saddle the Niners with $31.6 million in dead money and yield no cost savings, per Over the Cap. Designating him as a post-June 1 cut or trading him after that date, however, would lower the dead money hit to $10.7 million with $5.2 million cap space freed up.

The downside of the latter approach is that $20.8 million in dead money would be shifted onto the 2026 payroll. That might be another problem for a different day given how tight San Francisco's finances project to be.

Sure, having $65.9 million in projected space sounds nice, but cornerback Charvarius Ward, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga are among those hitting free agency. Should general manager John Lynch prefer instead to retool a defense that has struggled to keep teams out of the end zone, that would be a costly endeavor in its own right.

Lynch might also want to use the maneuverability he has now to tie down quarterback Brock Purdy and/or tight end George Kittle, who are both free agents in 2026. Especially with Purdy, who's arguably the biggest bargain in the league, spreading his extension over as many years as possible will lessen the annual burden.

Samuel is coming off a strong Week 16 performance, albeit in a losing effort, against the Miami Dolphins as he caught seven passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Before that, his usage was a source of frustration, and his angst was evident for those following the team.

Samuel's $15.8 million cap hit isn't too onerous when the top wideouts are earning north of $30 million per year on average. In addition, his continued presence would provide some stability with Brandon Aiyuk working his way back from a torn ACL and MCL.

But it won't be a complete shock if San Francisco decides this offseason is a good time to make a clean break.

San Francisco 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel raised some eyebrows last week when he posted on social media that he was "not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!!" amidst criticism of his play in the 2024 season.

A crucial drop on a third-down play during Thursday's 12-6 loss against the Los Angeles Rams didn't help his cause, to the point that NFL legend and Niners' great Jerry Rice called him out on Monday during an appearance on 95.7 The Game's The Morning Roast:

I don't know what is going on, because the weirdest thing is I think he had like three catches for 16 yards... for me, I would have been pissed. I would have been pissed at myself, I would have been pissed at the whole scenario, and I would pretty much go to work on the football field, at practice. And if you do it during practice, you're going to be able to do it during the game.

That ball that he dropped, after you complain about not getting that many touches, you cannot drop the football. Because everybody is going to get down on you and they're going to come after you. I never said anything about not getting touches or anything like that. I just worked, man. I just kept working, and if you show it during practice, they're going to make the call during the actual football game where you're going to have opportunities, where you can make catches, get into a rhythm and be productive.

Samuel, 28, has not had a good season, at least by the lofty standards he's previously set, catching 43 passes for 569 yards and a touchdown while adding 34 carries for 95 yards and a score. The expectation, with Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey out for the season, was that Samuel would post far bigger numbers and have a larger role in the offense.

Instead, it's been George Kittle who has picked up the slack, leading the team in receptions (60), receiving yards (861) and receiving touchdowns (eight). Jauan Jennings has also had a strong season, posting 59 catches for 805 yards and six scores.

Perhaps Samuel and quarterback Brock Purdy simply don't have chemistry. He was the third option in the passing game last year as well, and McCaffrey's two-way ability limited Samuel's overall usage.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is firmly in Deebo Samuel's corner even after the wide receiver took to social media to say he needs the ball more.

"Deebo and I talk all the time and he's like one of my best friends on this team," Purdy told reporters Tuesday. "I absolutely love Deebo and what he's done for me and helping me out. We talk all the time and yeah, I think he's right. He's doing great right now with what we ask of him in the offense. And he's not struggling or anything. It's just like I said before about guys like Ricky or last year with Aiyuk for a little bit.

"There's just moments I guess throughout seasons where guys just don't get the ball, just depending on the scheme or what the defensive scheme is and them taking guys away. So I want to get Deebo the ball every play if I could. I want to have him break all the records as best as possible. I want Deebo to do Deebo things and we all do in this building. So it's just how the games have gone. But I love my guy and I'm going to do everything I can to get him the ball."

Samuel had two catches for 22 yards in Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears.

On Monday, he said "Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!" in a since-deleted social-media post.

He also explained he wasn't calling out any of his teammates:

"You read what you read," Samuel added on Tuesday while speaking with reporters. "[I'm] a little frustrated for sure."

Samuel has struggled to make an impact of late with four consecutive games of 22 or fewer receiving yards. Yet, as Purdy explained, some of that has to do with the defense he is facing with far more focus on him with Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk sidelined with injuries.

The receiver can at least take solace knowing his quarterback still wants to get him the ball, which is notable ahead of a critical NFC West game against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday.

San Francisco is still two games behind the Washington Commanders for the final NFC wild-card spot and is also trailing the 7-6 Rams by a game. It likely needs to figure out a way to win Thursday's contest if it is going to challenge for a postseason spot.

Perhaps that will mean getting the ball to Samuel even more.

It seems like San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel would like to get the ball more heading into the stretch run of the 2024 season.

While the 49ers defeated the Chicago Bears 38-13 in Sunday's NFC matchup, they have still lost three of their last four and are on the outside of the current playoff picture. Samuel took to social media Monday and pushed back at the notion he is struggling with the team, suggesting instead he just needs more opportunities:

The South Carolina product finished Sunday's game with two catches for 22 yards and five carries for 13 yards. It was the most carries he has seen since a Week 1 win over the New York Jets, although injuries to running backs Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason left the team shorthanded at the position against the Bears.

Still, he didn't make the most of those five runs with 2.6 yards per carry, which was more notable since he wasn't much of a factor in the passing game for the fourth straight outing.

Here is a look at Samuel's last four games as a pass-catcher:

• Nov. 17 vs. Seahawks: 4 catches, 7 targets, 22 yards
• Nov. 24 at Packers: 1 catch, 4 targets, 21 yards
• Dec. 1 at Bills: 4 catches, 5 targets, 20 yards
• Dec. 8 vs. Bears: 2 catches, 3 targets, 22 yards 

A Nov. 10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the last time Samuel looked like his normal self as a receiver with five catches for 62 yards. And he has just one touchdown catch in the entire season.

Opposing defenses are surely making it a point to focus additional attention on Samuel with McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk sidelined with injuries.

That has made life more difficult for the veteran, who is used to impacting games in a variety of ways with his speed and physicality. The 2021 Pro Bowler has three seasons with more than 800 receiving yards, including that 2021 campaign when he posted 1,405.

However, he will need to quickly turn things around to reach that mark this year with 553 receiving yards and four games remaining.

Perhaps getting more chances will help him do just that, as he has seen more than seven targets just once all season. That came in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings when he posted a season-high 110 receiving yards on 10 targets.

Don't be surprised if Samuel sees plenty of chances in Thursday's NFC West showdown against the Los Angeles Rams after publicly calling for the ball.