The San Francisco 49ers clearly didn’t have the season they hoped to have.

San Francisco’s Super Bowl window has been wide open after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs last year in the big game, many expected the team to make another run this year. That didn’t happen and now the 49ers’ future is somewhat murky.

The 49ers have to make a lot of decisions this offseason with the cap getting more difficult to manage. One of the reasons why the 49ers have been so good is they have been phenomenal in the draft. The 49ers have been loaded with Pro Bowl and All-Pro talent on rookie deals. Now, the roster is about to get a whole lot more expensive and everyone won’t be able to return.

One player who already has been in rumors due to this is receiver Deebo Samuel. He was in trade rumors before the 2024 season even kicked off, but wasn’t moved. Samuel stuck around with the 49ers all season and it was an up-and-down year. There’s a potential out in his contract this offseason but if it is picked up, there’s only one more year on the three-year, $71 million deal.

Samuel has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate and Doub Kyed of the Boston Herald suggested the New England Patriots as a possible fit.

“Samuel, like (AJ Brown), was a member of the 2019 NFL Draft class,” Kyed said. “Patriots fans might not need to be reminded that N’Keal Harry was drafted over both players. Whoops. Samuel is not as productive or consistent as Brown at this point in their careers, but he would also immediately become the Patriots’ top pass-catching option.

“He hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiving season since 2021, but Samuel still provides versatility as a pass-catcher and ball-carrier, which new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels could have some fun with. A release doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility here. Sending a mid-to-late round pick should be able to get a deal done for Samuel.”

New England clearly needs a No. 1 receiver and has the cap space to pretty much afford any contract. This is a pretty good idea In this scenario, the 49ers probably could get a solid draft return from the Patriots and could send him out of the conference. If the 49ers do in fact trade him, New England would be a good landing spot.