San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel has the spotlight on him and not for good reasons.
Amid a season where he has struggled and has drawn negative attention to himself, Deebo could be a trade candidate this offseason.
Just a few years ago, Samuel was considered one of the best offensive weapons in football. He was a first team All-Pro in 2021 and was a key part of San Francisco’s run in the playoffs that ended with a loss in the NFC Championship game.
Following that season, Samuel did the typical thing done by stars these days where he scrubbed his social media of any mention of the 49ers and played hardball with the team on extension talks. He also requested to be traded at one point.
The saga dragged all the way into training camp when he signed a three-year, $73.5 million contract extension.
The fact he was a threat both as a receiver and from the backfield is what earned him such a big contract. He has lived up to that contract at times the past three seasons, but Samuel has also frequently been injured and has never matched that same production he showcased in 2021.
2024 has been arguably his worst season yet.
Thus far, he has 569 receiving yards on 43 receptions and just one receiving touchdown. His rushing stats have been way down. He has a meager 95 rushing yards on 34 rush attempts for a paltry average of 2.8 yards per carry.
Plus, recently Samuel decided to take to social media to claim he was not getting the ball enough. The 49ers tried to rectify this in their Week 15 game against the Los Angeles Rams, but Deebo did not deliver. He had 16 receiving yards on three receptions and seven targets. He had 3 rushing yards on two attempts. The South Carolina product also had a major drop in the first half on a ball that hit him between the numbers and almost certainly would have been a touchdown had he caught it.
Samuel at least took ownership after the game, but it is starting to feel like his days with the Niners may be numbered.
What if the 49ers made a trade involving Samuel that could take their defense to the next level?
Let’s craft a mock trade that could help transform the Niners’ defense.
San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers MOCK TRADE PROPOSAL: 49ers trade WR Deebo Samuel to the Chargers in exchange for DE Joey Bosa
This could be a beneficial trade for both sides.
The Los Angeles Chargers are a team that could use a veteran wide receiver like Samuel. They currently have young wide receivers, Ladd McConkey and Quintin Johnson, who both have a lot of promise, but adding Samuel to the mix would give quarterback Justin Herbert another weapon to play with.
In exchange, the 49ers would be getting a fearsome edge rusher in Joey Bosa. Pairing him up with his brother Nick Bosa would be an absolute nightmare for opponents and would give the Niners arguably the most feared pass rush in all of football.
Plus, both Bosa and Samuel are entering contract years, meaning there is no imbalance in how long each team would be getting them for. The website Over the Cap estimates that the 49ers would gain $3.67 million in APY, but perhaps they could agree to pay that much of Samuel’s salary in 2025 while Los Angeles takes on the rest of his salary so the cap hit is neutral.
It would be a very bold trade and would signal that the Niners are serious about being a defense-first football team again.
Plus, San Francisco would still have wide receivers Jauan Jennings, Brandon Aiyuk, and Ricky Pearsall on the team, not to mention a great tight end like George Kittle. Their passing attack would probably not suffer greatly.
The 49ers need to reevaluate things this offseason, and a massive blockbuster trade like this could be just the move to shake things up for San Francisco.
