The veteran wide receiver was granted permission to find a trade after expressing his desire to be moved after the regular season ended.
The San Francisco 49ers will be busy this offseason as they decide what to do with veteran wide receiver Deebo Samuel. After expressing he wanted to be moved at his exit meeting, the 49ers permitted Samuel to find a trade partner.
It won’t be easy for the 49ers to trade the veteran wideout. He’s coming off an unspectacular 2024 season and entering the last year of his deal.
However, with the Cincinnati Bengals reportedly tagging standout wide receiver Tee Higgins, a potential suitor might come along over the next few weeks. If and when the 49ers move on from Samuel, they’ll have to find a replacement, which won’t be easy, per his teammate, George Kittle.
Kittle was on the Sports Seriously Show with Mackenzie Salmon, who had nothing but great things to say about Samuel.
George Kittle on the 49ers replacing Deebo Samuel’s role if he’s released or traded:
“You can’t really replace Deebo. I think he’s one of the most unique players in the NFL because of what he can do. He’s the greatest, best YAC guy, besides myself — I’ll hype myself up, I’m… pic.twitter.com/q6K1Wty2pQ
— Coach Yac đź—Ł (@Coach_Yac) February 19, 2025
“You can’t really replace Deebo. I think he’s one of the most unique players in the NFL because of what he can do. He’s the greatest, best YAC guy, besides myself — I’ll hype myself up, I’m pretty good at that, too, Kittle said. But he’s so good when he gets the ball in his hands. The fact that you can line him up in the slot, out wide, in the backfield and do all the fun stuff with him and he breaks tackles, he runs like a running back and he has the burst, he has the speed, and he has the agility to get away from guys too. He’s just such a unique player. I don’t think you can really replace him.”
If you are an opposing team contemplating adding a receiver this offseason, the star tight end did a fantastic job talking up Samuel and what he brings to the field. Samuel isn’t a burner like Xavier Worthy or Jameson Willams, but having a guy who can line up across the formation and get yards after the catch is a good option.
This season, Samuel wasn’t playing up to the levels we’ve seen in years past. However, he still had 51 receptions (81 targets) for 670 yards and three touchdowns. The vet also had 136 yards on the ground (second-fewest in his career) and a touchdown.
When healthy, Samuel can have over 1,000 scrimmage yards and double-digit touchdowns. The 49ers will miss that production from the wideout, but the hope is Ricky Pearsall or whoever else they add this offseason can fill in the void.