San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel and his agent are exploring trade options. However, many believe the most likely outcome is the once-imposing player's release—potentially before March 22, when he is due a $15.4 million option bonus.
Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard is among those who see a release as the 49ers' most likely path. Trading Samuel before June 1 would result in $31.55 million in dead money for 2025, whereas releasing him with a post-June 1 designation would spread the financial hit across multiple years, reducing the 2025 cap hit to a more manageable $10.75 million.
The 49ers signed Samuel to a lucrative contract extension following his breakout 2021 season, during which he racked up 1,770 scrimmage yards and 14 total touchdowns—including 1,405 receiving yards. However, he has failed to surpass 900 receiving yards in any of his other five seasons.
Samuel had an opportunity to step up following Brandon Aiyuk's ACL injury in October. Instead, he posted a career-low 806 scrimmage yards and four total touchdowns in 2024, excluding his injury-shortened 2020 campaign.
Kawakami believes the 49ers now regret their decision to reward Samuel with a massive payday after 2021.
"I think there's regret among some in 49ers management that Deebo wasn't traded during his tense negotiations three years ago instead of landing the extension the 49ers now will exit a year early — with the resulting salary-cap penalties," Kawakami wrote. "There's probably even more regret that Deebo wasn't traded last spring."
Samuel's deal might not be the only one the 49ers regret. Kawakami suggests the organization felt pressure to lock up its big-name players while in Super Bowl contention, leading to prolonged negotiations and unnecessary drama.
"Also, I know that there's still frustration about the way Brandon Aiyuk handled his bitter negotiations last summer and that members of the front office were never thrilled about giving him a $30-million-a-year deal on the eve of the regular season," Kawakami wrote. "And a team that absolutely hates setting contract precedents probably doesn't feel great in retrospect for buckling and giving Nick Bosa $34 million a year."
The 49ers invested heavily in their core players, hoping to sustain Super Bowl runs, but have consistently come up short of their ultimate goal.
"The 49ers made those deals because they were in a sprint to win a Super Bowl with this core group and while Brock Purdy was on an immensely cheap rookie deal," Kawakami added. "But the 49ers have not won a Super Bowl in this era and Purdy is due a huge new contract."
This past season, the gamble backfired. The 49ers endured an injury-plagued campaign and stumbled to a 6-11 record, missing the playoffs entirely. Kawakami believes the team is now ready to take a colder approach and prepared to move on from underperforming and high-priced veterans like Samuel.
"Behavior or slumps that were accepted when the 49ers were competing for conference championships are not looked on kindly now that the 49ers are coming off a 6-11 season," Kawakami noted.