Deebo Samuel Trade Rumors: 49ers Definitively Opted to Keep WR 2 Hours Before Round 2
May 7, 2024
The San Francisco 49ers discussed trading wide receiver Deebo Samuel before making the decision not to move him two hours before the second day of the 2024 NFL Draft, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported.
The day before those trade talks, the 49ers drafted Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with their pick at No. 31 overall in the first round.
After apparently deciding to keep Samuel, San Francisco added another wide receiver by selecting Arizona's Jacob Cowing in the fourth round.
The Athletic's Dianna Russini previously reported that the 49ers held talks before the start of the draft about dealing Samuel or fellow star receiver Brandon Aiyuk in hopes of moving up in the first round.
Fowler's report comes days after 49ers general manager John Lynch confirmed on The Pat McAfee Show that San Francisco had listened to trade offers on Samuel and Aiyuk.
"During the course of drafts and offseasons, do conversations happen? Absolutely, they do," Lynch said. "We're past that now. We're thrilled to add to that group."
Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow"I love our roster & I love the way it's comprised..<br><br>I'm doing everything in my power to keep our roster together & that's my goal..<br><br>Deebo & Aiuyk are guys that we drafted & we couldn't be more proud of these guys"<a href="https://twitter.com/JohnLynch49ers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JohnLynch49ers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PMSLive?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PMSLive</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FTTB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FTTB</a> <a href="https://t.co/cFneUDrPU8">pic.twitter.com/cFneUDrPU8</a>
Samuel, a 2021 All-Pro, recorded 60 catches for 892 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 15 regular-season starts.
He added 13 catches for 146 yards in three playoff games to help the 49ers reach Super Bowl LVIII.
Samuel has two seasons remaining on the three-year extension he signed with the 49ers in 2022. He is set to cost $28.6 million against the cap for the 2024 season, according to Spotrac.