On April 20, 49ers catcher Deebo Samuel requested a trade. Ten days later, the 49ers have yet to reach an agreement to fire him.
The 49ers were reportedly offered two trades this week focused on 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 take Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson with the No. 10 pick offered to the 49ers on Thursday night. The other team was the Lions, although details of the offer have not been reported. Detroit selected 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 submitted, it doesn’t look 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 have a responsibility to help your organization as much as you can, but there is no player like Deebo. It’s hard to see how that helps your organization. So you try to look at all the aspects and what people are willing to do and nothing was even remotely close to thinking it would be fair to the Niners.”
Shanahan and Lynch have yet to publicly discuss what prompted Samuel’s trade request, though he reportedly has issues with the 49ers using him as a wide receiver and running back on offense.
The 49ers didn’t have a first-round pick, but they did make three picks Friday, including a catcher: SMU’s Danny Gray. According to ESPN, Samuel was responsible for 28% of the team’s scrimmage yards in 2021. The addition of Gray can help lighten the veteran receiver’s load in 2022.
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Two successful trades occurred Thursday night, with wide receiver Marquise Brown traded to the Cardinals and AJ Brown traded to the Eagles. Samuel is still the best receiver potentially waiting for a trade.
“I think all of these situations are unique,” Lynch said. “Obviously you are aware of what is happening in the league, but we were focused on our situation. We tried to do what was there. We think we did it and we think we can find a way to get through this and everything will be fine. So we’re encouraged by 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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