Deebo Samuel wants the San Francisco 49ers to trade him. The 49ers don't want to trade their dynamic wide receiver. So that's where we stand right now. Neither side is saying anything about the situation, so everyone is waiting to see what happens and speculating along the way.
If the Niners trade Samuel, it will likely have to be before or during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, when the team can get the most value for the receiver. However, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero is hearing that most teams don't think that will happen.
"There are multiple teams that have attempted to engage with the 49ers and made offers," Pelissero said Wednesday from Las Vegas, the sight of the draft. "Ian [Rapoport] mentioned the other day [that] two of the teams to watch would be the New York Jets and the Detroit Lions. But I continue to hear from people who know Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch well, the teams that have done some level of research into the situation, [they] are skeptical that the 49ers are actually going to trade him.
"This is one of Kyle Shanahan's favorite players of all time. He is the engine that makes that offense go in a lot of different ways."
Rapoport believes the draft being just a day away complicates things. For example, if Samuel were traded, the acquiring team would want to make sure they can sign him to a contract extension and have the receiver pass a physical. That might be challenging if a deal is struck while a team, like the Jets, was on the clock.
"All of these things take time," Rapoport said. "That is why the clock is ticking, and ... I've had no indications at all that the San Francisco 49ers have made any moves to trade Deebo Samuel."