If the San Francisco 49ers trade wide receiver Deebo Samuel, it will likely happen before or during the first-round of the 2022 NFL Draft, which kicks off on Thursday night. That's when the team can get the most value for him. On Wednesday, Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network reported that the New York Jets remain the front-runners to acquire Samuel and are looking to prepare a trade package that they hope will blow the 49ers away.
"Everyone says that Kyle Shanahan would like to keep Deebo Samuel, but again, the feeling is what the Jets will offer—as they said in The Godfather—the Jets are going to make the Niners an offer they can't refuse," said Pauline.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler notes that those around the league also consider the Jets to be the front-runners for Samuel, adding that some interested teams don't expect the 49ers to trade the receiver.
"Multiple teams are calling, and it's believed San Francisco is at least listening," Fowler wrote. "I'm told the Lions and Packers also have interest. As one source pointed out, 'It would take so much for Kyle [Shanahan] to trade him to Green Bay,' given the rivalry both in the NFC and between the two coaches, Shanahan and Matt LaFleur."
One way or another, we'll know more about the Deebo Samuel situation by Thursday night.
Then you have Jimmy Garoppolo, who the 49ers actually would like to trade. They haven't been able to do so because the quarterback underwent shoulder surgery on March 8.
"I think the [rehab] progress is good," general manager John Lynch said on Monday. "So he's tracking kind of right where we said—throwing towards the end of June and ramping it up from there."
No one is trading for an injured quarterback who isn't considered an elite talent, even when healthy. Many wonder if there will be any quarterback-needy teams once Garoppolo is fully recovered.
"I don't get the sense that the Jimmy Garoppolo market is hot right now," wrote Dan Graziano, "and the 49ers have made their peace with the fact that teams won't be willing to part with much in exchange for Garoppolo until after they've seen him thrown in late June/early July coming off shoulder surgery."