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Deebo Samuel Trade Rumors: Jets, Packers, Chiefs, Lions 'Teams to Consider' for WR
April 20, 2022
The potential suitors are beginning to line up for disgruntled San Francisco 49ers star Deebo Samuel.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the New York Jets, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions are "among the teams to consider."
Samuel confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Darlington on Wednesday he has requested a trade from the Niners.
The 2021 All-Pro is in the final year of his rookie deal and figures to be paid handsomely with his next contract. According to Rapoport, finances aren't the motivating factor behind his present discord with San Francisco:
If Samuel is on the trade market, then it's probably easier to list off the teams that won't be interested rather than naming the ones who might pursue him.
The 26-year-old is coming off a monster 2021 season in which he caught 77 passes for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns and ran for 365 yards and eight touchdowns on 59 carries.
Even if Samuel wants to be used as a more traditional wideout in order to limit the hits he has to absorb, he is a dynamic pass-catcher who could help any offense around the league.
Considering their longstanding need for a true No. 1 receiver, the Lions and Jets make obvious sense as franchises that could make a run at the three-year veteran. Neither team has done much to drastically improve its passing game this offseason.
The Chiefs and Packers are surprising if only because they lost elite receivers who, like Samuel, were poised to get massive extensions.
Green Bay traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders before he signed a five-year, $140 million pact. Kansas City dealt Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, who immediately handed him a four-year, $120 million contract.
Particularly in the case of the Chiefs, the trade presumably signaled a desire to avoid paying top dollar for a wide receiver and instead spread that money elsewhere.