By Jordan Long
The San Francisco 49ers look like they are going to keep Deebo Samuel. Samuel, though, requested a trade out of San Francisco during the offseason but that has yet to happen.
Samuel has been very productive with the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers drafted him in the 2nd round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Jimmy Garoppolo, the 49ers quarterback, looks for Samuel early and often. Samuel will always find a way to be open to catch the football. Samuel had his most productive year last season, catching 77 passes for 1,405 yards and 6 touchdowns. Overall he totaled 2,598 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in his career.
Samuel is also used in the running game for wide receiver sweeps. This catches the defense off guard. Samuel has totaled 550 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
The downside with him though is holding onto the football. For whatever reason, Samuel doesn’t hold the football tight to his body which makes it easier for defenders to cause fumbles. Of course, some of these are recovered by the defense which ends drives for the 49ers. He has 6 fumbles and lost 3, far too many. 4 of those fumbles were last season.
Samuel asked for a trade out of San Francisco during the offseason since the 49ers stopped contract extension talks with him. This doesn’t mean they won’t engage again, but Samuel feels like his days in San Francisco are done. One of the reasons speculated is he wants to focus more on being a wide receiver rather than a runner. Running the football has added wear and tear on his body.
According to CBSsports.com, General Manager John Lynch is not going to trade Samuel. He said “It’s a yes for me, and that’s our job. He’s too good of a player. We’ve got too good of a thing going, and we want to keep that going. That’s where I’ll leave that.”
Lynch can say that Samuel is going to stay with the 49ers. The problem is Samuel could force his way out. The easiest way is to not show up during training camp. Sure the 49ers could fine Samuel during that time, but they need to find a solution. The worst case is Samuel will wait it out until the start of the year or longer. There have been players who sat out the whole year trying to get their way. Samuel hasn’t sat out yet but that could be coming. The 49ers know Samuel is a great wide receiver. They don’t want any distractions with him so something will probably be worked out. Hopefully, Samuel stays on the team because he’s such an important part of their offense.
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