A pair of new reports suggest that Deebo Samuel is the wide receiver the San Francisco 49ers would prefer to trade this offseason, and head coach Kyle Shanahan may be fully on board with that plan.
The 49ers are in a difficult position when it comes to their salary cap situation in the years ahead. They already have several stars locked into some sizable contracts, however, the bill on strong performances from young stars Brandon Aiyuk and Brock Purdy is coming soon.
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- Deebo Samuel contract: three-years, $71.5 million ($58.1 million guaranteed)
Purdy is still a few years away from getting a massive pay raise from the team — assuming he continues his current level of play — but Aiyuk is set to hit the open market after this upcoming season and it puts the organization into a tough predicament when it comes to the future of their wide receiver room.
Over the last two seasons, Aiyuk has, arguably, become their true WR1 while former top receiver Samuel has regressed due to injuries. For many pundits outside the organization, moving on from Samuel would seem like the more practical way for the team to go moving forward.
Well, it seems like that may be the belief within the organization as well. Over the weekend, San Francisco Chronicle 49ers reporter Mike Silver reported that trading away Deebo Samuel is a higher priority for the team, compared to Aiyuk, and added to the recent rumblings that both the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots have shown “serious” interest in trading for either receiver.
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Kyle Shanahan done with Deebo Samuel?
However, beyond that, during a recent appearance on the “Colin Cowherd Podcast,” John Middlekauff — the host of the “3 and Out” podcast — made a wild claim that head coach Kyle Shanahan “is tired of” of Samuel over a belief he is limited as a pure receiver and is having more difficulty separating from defensive backs in recent years.
| Catches | YARDS | TD | YPC | |
| Brandon Aiyuk | 105 | 1,342 | 7 | 17.9 |
| Deebo Samuel | 60 | 892 | 892 | 14.9 |
Both players will land the 49ers a strong return, and they drafted Ricky Pearsall in Round 1 of the NFL Draft to fill either player’s spot. Yet, while Samuel will not get quite as strong a return as Aiyuk, moving him is the better long-term option for the team as they continue to re-work their salary cap in the years ahead.
