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Deebo Samuel Rumors: 49ers WR's Situation 'Mostly Status Quo' amid Trade Request
June 7, 2022
Deebo Samuel may be reporting to mandatory minicamp, but his trade request still stands.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported the situation between Samuel and the San Francisco 49ers "has remained mostly status quo in recent weeks." The All-Pro wideout still wants out, and there has been no progress in contract extension or trade talks.
The 49ers have maintained they have no interest in trading Samuel. Several notable wide receivers, including Tyreek Hill, AJ Brown and Davante Adams, have been traded this offseason amid stalled contract talks with their previous team.
"There's certain things that people got to go through," coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters last month. "There's certain things everyone is trying to get and trying to do, and you see what you can and you work from there. You can work out anything. Hopefully, when this is all said and done, we'll get the best thing for the Niners, best thing for Deebo, and hopefully that's the same thing because we'd love to keep going how we've been. But we know that's in front of us right now."
Samuel has not publicly stated why he wants to be traded, though rumors have persisted about displeasure with his role in the offense. The 49ers regularly used Samuel as a running back in the second half of last season—so much so that he wound up getting more touches out of the backfield than as a pass-catcher as the year progressed. In San Francisco's three playoff games, Samuel had 27 carries and only made 10 receptions.
While that role allowed Samuel to reach his potential as one of the NFL's foremost offensive playmakers, it also came with significant wear-and-tear. Running backs tend to age out of the league and get paid far less money than traditional wide receivers. It's possible Samuel saw his role as something that could shorten his NFL livelihood.
As frustrated as Samuel may be, it appears he's at least going to fulfill his contractual obligations to the 49ers for the time being.
