49ers 'to honor' star player's trade request

While trade requests don’t always result in a trade, it sounds like Deebo Samuel will get his wish. 49ers general manager John Lynch acknowledged that the team intends "to honor" the wideout’s recent trade request, per Mike Klis of 9News in Denver.

After being the subject of trade rumors last offseason, Samuel was the one to actively seek a divorce in 2024. The receiver recently revealed that he asked the 49ers for a trade, and we later learned that the front office granted the wideout permission to seek a new team.

Considering the 49ers’ willingness to send Samuel to a desirable spot, the organization wasn’t expected to get a haul for the former All-Pro. In fact, one report indicated that the organization may have to settle for a Day 3 pick, a notable drop from their first- or second-round asking price from last offseason. Lynch seemed to grasp at his little leverage while speaking with reporters, noting that Samuel has already garnered “a lot of interest around the league,” per Matt Barrows of The Athletic.

Samuel’s All-Pro showing in 2021 earned him a three-year, $71.55M extension in July 2022. The veteran has continued to be a major part of San Francisco’s offense, but he’s dealt with injuries and a drop in production over the past three years. That seemed to culminate in 2024 when the receiver finished with 806 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns — his worst showing since his seven-game 2020 campaign.

While Samuel may find a new team relatively quickly, it may take a bit for the trade to actually be made official. That’s because the 49ers would create a negative cap charge of over $15M by trading him before June 1. If the receiver is moved in a post-June 1 trade, the 49ers could spread out his dead-cap charge across multiple seasons (and even open up about $5M in cap space for 2025).