Following his trade-less NFL Draft weekend—one which did see the team entertain some offers, albeit low-ball efforts—Deebo Samuel is still a San Francisco 49er. For how long? That all depends.
Samuel, of course, wants out of San Fran and has even requested a trade. However, “[n]othing’s changed,” GM John Lynch said Saturday.
On Sunday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler seemed to confirm as much.
“It appears he is still dug in, still wants to be traded despite getting through the draft,” the report said. “But he knows this could be a long wait now that the 49ers did not do a deal … The Jets were the strongest suitor throughout this but when the 49ers didn’t take their offer, they went with Garrett Wilson with the 10th overall pick instead. They got their wide receiver.
“Teams like the Lions and Packers did explore this. They filled their need in the draft at wide receiver, so there’s not a natural suitor right now. Perhaps they can try to repair the relationship. It has soured. The 49ers would like for that to happen.
“I talked to a team source who said, ‘Look, we couldn’t break the huddle without Deebo Samuel last year, and we love him on and off the field.’ So something is just amiss here. Maybe they can work it out, but right now, he still wants to be traded.”
Those around the team are confident too.
“It’s part of the business,” SF head coach Kyle Shanahan said, though he added that the two haven’t spoken in weeks. “There are certain things people have got to go through. There are certain things that everyone is trying to get and trying to do. And then you see what you can [do], and you work from there. You can work out anything.
“Hopefully, when this is all said and done, we’ll get the best thing for the Niners, the best thing for Deebo. Hopefully, that’s the same thing because we’d love to keep going how we’ve been. But we know that’s in front of us right now.”
