After day two of the 2022 NFL Draft, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if there were any offers for Deebo Samuel that the San Francisco 49ers were close to taking.
"Not even close," Shanahan responded.
Friday was the first time anyone had a chance to ask the 49ers coach about Samuel's trade request and the drama surrounding the situation with the star receiver.
"I was real surprised [by the request]," Shanahan said. "... We were surprised, but also, once it does happen, you know this business, so it can't surprise you too much. But yeah, we were disappointed a little bit, but it's part of this business. You'll consider anything. You have a responsibility to help your organization the most you can.
"But losing a player like Deebo, it's hard to see how that helps your organization. So you try to look into all the aspects of it and what people are willing to do, and nothing was even remotely close to what we thought would be fair for us or fair for the Niners."
Shanahan admitted that he hasn't spoken to Samuel in a couple of weeks. However, he remains confident that the relationship between the 49ers and their star receiver can be mended.
"It's part of the business," Shanahan said. "There are certain things people have got to go through. There are certain things that everyone is trying to get and trying to do. And then you see what you can [do], 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, the best thing for Deebo. 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."
Shanahan opted not to go into detail about the reasoning behind the rift but said there are "lots of things that play into it." The team looks forward to discussing those things with Samuel and working through them.
Shanahan still believes the 49ers have a great relationship with Samuel. He tries not to get too caught up in what the media is writing about the situation—and they have written a lot.
"We've been with him here for three years," Shanahan said. "I think we know him pretty well. He knows us pretty well. Yeah, things haven't been the best over the last couple of months through outside perception, but I see that happen a lot in this league, especially in contract situations. You try not to overreact one way or another on it. You try to be patient with it because emotions can get high with people, especially when you care about people.
"... First and foremost, you do what is right for the organization. Then second of all, you try to get a win-win for both sides."
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