The San Francisco 49ers have had a busy offseason at the wide receiver position, drafting rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing, while dealing with contract issues with each of their top three receivers.
Star wideout Brandon Aiyuk is still dealing with his contract extension situation, which slot receiver Jauan Jennings had on his plate until the team re-upped him to a two-year deal earlier last week.
While veteran wideout Deebo Samuel is under contract until 2025, his name was constantly involved in trade rumors heading into the 2024 NFL Draft before the team shut down those conversations briefly before Day 2 started.
Were those trade rumors bearing any fruit, and how did Samuel react to the news?
“Yeah, I heard it,” Samuel acknowledged on Tuesday. “Had a conversation with my agent about it. They was going back and forth with whoever it was. It was a thing at first, but we done moved past it. So we here, and we here to get better.”
It appears Samuel has understood the situation and the nature of the business, but is ultimately still with the 49ers for the 2024 season, as no trade ended up being facilitated.
The 49ers elected not to restructure or touch the wideout’s contract this offseason, providing the team with flexibility heading into next offseason when discussions about a Samuel trade will likely arise once more with an even more realistic chance of occuring.
How is Samuel approaching the year, knowing that there’s a possibility that the 2024 season could be his last with the 49ers?
“At the end of the day, the contract was signed,” Samuel said. “I know what I signed up for, and we just focused on this year.”
Back ahead of the 2022 season, Samuel had signed a three-year, $71 million extension following a monster All-Pro campaign, where he was used in a versatile role as San Francisco’s top option.
However, as the years have elapsed, there has been a shift in the offense, with elite route runner Brandon Aiyuk taking over more of a volume role, leading to the 49ers having a difficult decision with the receiver room.
For now, it appears the 49ers will look to capitalize on one last year with their receiver core before making any tough decisions next offseason.