Deebo Samuel Trade Rumors: Jets, 49ers Deal 'Ain't Dead Yet' Ahead of 2022 NFL Draft

The New York Jets have not given up on their pursuit of San Francisco 49ers star Deebo Samuel.

Rich Cimini of ESPN reported the deal "ain't dead yet" and noted the two sides could revisit trade talks, depending on the players available at the No. 10 pick Thursday.

Samuel requested a trade from the 49ers, but the team has resisted thus far. 

"I can't ever imagine wanting to move on from Deebo," general manager John Lynch told reporters. "You put yourself through the exercises of, even though we don't have a first-round pick, you have to be thorough in this process and prepare for everything. So, you go through it and do that. He's just too good of a player ... We've got nothing but love for him and nothing but appreciation for what he's brought, but you just don't let guys like that walk. So, I can't envision a scenario where we would [trade him]."

The team has been trying to engage Samuel in contract extension talks, but he has been unresponsive. While money is a factor, Samuel's unhappiness with his role has reportedly pushed his desire to find a new home. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said Samuel became disenchanted with his use as a running back last season. 

“It sounds like there’s multiple layers to this, but certainly one of them is Deebo Samuel wants to be a receiver and not a receiver/running back,” Pelissero said on the Rich Eisen Show. “His rushing attempts were significantly up last season from where they’ve been in the past. We all know that he’s a really, really physical player, but there probably are some concerns here about longevity."

Samuel's usage out of the backfield became increasingly frequent as the 2021 season went along. In the second half of the season, Samuel had far more carries (53) than receptions (28). The trend continued during the postseason, which saw Samuel carry the ball 27 times and make only 10 receptions.

Samuel remained dynamic in those situations, but it's likely they created concern about his long-term future. Running backs play a largely fungible position where players often lose their effectiveness by their late 20s and rarely get properly compensated for their contributions.