The 49ers need to trade him now.
Deebo Samuel had arguably the worst year of his career in 2024.
It started with an abysmal performance in the Super Bowl in which he caught just 3 passes for 33 yards despite getting targeted a game-high 11 times. Not even Travis Kelce got that many targets.
Then in 15 regular season games, Samuel caught just 51 passes for 630 yards and 3 touchdowns. By the end of the season, he was the third-best wide receiver on the team behind Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall.
This week at the Super Bowl, Samuel sat down with Kay Adams to talk about why played so poorly in 2024.
“I went through a lot,” Samuel said. “Still want to be the player that I know I’m capable of being, but the opportunities were just not as big as I wanted them to be. Then we weren’t winning on top of that, so I’m one of the (worst) losers ever. I hate losing. I’m a bad loser, especially when you’re so used to winning a lot and being in a position to fight for a championship.”
I appreciate Samuel’s introspection, but I’m not buying his response. The 49ers kept giving him opportunities that he didn’t deserve all season. He couldn’t get open, and when he somehow did get open, he couldn’t catch the ball consistently. The 49ers would have won more games if Samuel simply hadn’t been on the team.
He also blames his poor behavior last season on the frustrations of losing. Fair enough, although he tweeted that he didn’t get the ball enough after a win, so it seems he’s a bad winner, too.
The 49ers need to trade him now.