The San Francisco 49ers have reportedly assured at least one All-Pro wide receiver that he will not be traded, for now.
In reporting that "anything's possible" regarding Brandon Aiyuk as draft night approaches, The San Francisco Chronicle's Mike Silver added that Deebo Samuel has been assured he will not dealt during or after the draft.
Samuel signed a three-year, $71.55 million extension in 2022 after his stunning All-Pro 2021.
As trade talk has swirled around Aiyuk during his contract negotiations with the 49ers that have yet to reach a resolution, the point has been made that a trade of Samuel, who has struggled to consistently recapture his 2021 magic and dealt with injury issues in the last two seasons, makes more sense as a trade option.
While Samuel's play has been up and down in the last two seasons, Aiyuk has emerged as Brock Purdy's most reliable target and has successive 1,000-yard campaigns to his name.
Still, there is a strong case to be made that Samuel, with his tone-setting style of play and the versatility both he and Christian McCaffrey bring to the table in being able to thrive lined up at the receiver position and in the backfield, is more important to the offense overall.
But, given the money the 49ers can save next year by moving on from Samuel, there are unlikely to be any guarantees about his future with the team in 2025. In a year in which the Niners are likely to make Brock Purdy one of the highest-paid players in the NFL, if not the highest-paid player in NFL history, the 49ers can save $17.56 million against the cap with a post-June 1 trade of Samuel with a dead cap charge of $6.6 million.
They would save $22 million against the cap with the same dead money charge with a post-June 1 trade this year, however, with Purdy on his rookie deal, the Niners are in a better position to absorb his salary.
So, the 49ers can look forward to at least one more season of Samuel providing his often devastating impact. However, just as anything is possible with Aiyuk this week, everything will be on the table with the Niners and Samuel next year.
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