The San Francisco 49ers and Deebo Samuel's camp have yet to agree on a contract extension. Earlier this offseason, the star wide receiver requested to be traded after growing frustrated as he watched his NFL peers receive new mega-deals while nothing progressed with his situation. Some wondered if Samuel would report for the team's mandatory minicamp in June.
Samuel reported, and odds are he will be at training camp whether he has a new deal or not. He may avoid getting on the practice field, as he did for the two-day minicamp, but he will likely be there with his teammates.
49ers insider Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area recently joined KNBR and shared that the odds of the Niners granting Samuel a trade at this point are probably poor. It just wouldn't make much sense from San Francisco's perspective.
"The thing with the 49ers, if you're going to trade Deebo Samuel, you want to reap the benefits of that trade immediately," Maiocco said Thursday morning on the Murph & Mac show. "So if you trade Deebo Samuel, you want a first-round draft pick who's going to make an immediate impact. I don't see that unless there's a player-for-player trade, which usually those are typically unusual. Why would the 49ers trade Deebo Samuel now, say, for a future pick when that player wouldn't be able to help them immediately?"
The odds of Samuel holding out from reporting to training camp while the receiver awaits a resolution also seems unlikely, even if he still doesn't want to be a part of the organization.
"I don't see any reason why Deebo Samuel would not report because he would actually be subjecting himself to some pretty hefty fines," Maiocco shared. "I just don't know what other option Deebo Samuel has. Even if he doesn't want to play for the 49ers anymore, he's a professional football player, and I just don't see any way around it.
"I mean, the 49ers already heard the best offers that they got, and the best offers that they got would be at the first round or during the first round, or would be leading up to the first round of the NFL Draft. And the offers they heard, I think you, me, the 49ers, I think even Deebo Samuel would say, 'Well jeez, I can understand why the 49ers didn't take that offer.'
"So I just don't know what choice he has other than to get fairly compensated, the 49ers come to the table with an offer that works for both sides, and Deebo Samuel is playing football for the 49ers this year."
That doesn't mean there aren't hurdles to overcome if the 49ers hope to mend the relationship and convince Samuel to remain with the organization for the foreseeable future, despite his reservations—whatever they may be. Looking back at previous offseasons, the team has managed to complete extensions before or during training camp.
Tight end George Kittle and the 49ers agreed to a five-year extension on August 13, 2020, 16 days after players reported to training camp. However, Kittle was practicing with his teammates before signing. Linebacker Fred Warner agreed to his five-year extension on July 21, 2021, six days before players reported to training camp.
"Now, I could certainly see a scenario where it's not as easy as it was for George Kittle or Fred Warner," Maiocco continued. "Neither of those guys missed any practice time in training camp. I could see a scenario where it drags on a little bit, but not so much that it turns into this huge deal."
Maiocco notes that one thing to keep an eye on, since Samuel has been mostly away from the team this offseason, is what kind of shape the receiver is in when he does report to training camp.
"I don't know what his workouts have been away from the 49ers, but wide receivers are susceptible to soft-muscle, soft-tissue injuries early in training camp," Maiocco said. "So he's just got to stay healthy and make sure he's in good shape. And the 49ers need to make sure he's in good shape too, and just kind of not rush him out there."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Maiocco below.
