There appears to be no shortage of interest in San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who is seeking a trade. The unhappy player wants out of the Bay Area, and the 49ers are willing to entertain potential offers.
"I just checked in on this," Jeremy Fowler said Thursday on ESPN's NFL Live, per Scott Polacek of Bleacher Report. "I was told that several teams have expressed interest, so at least preliminary talks on a potential trade have happened between Samuel, his agent and the team."
However, that doesn't necessarily mean a trade is imminent. Fowler noted that these discussions are likely just exploratory, with teams gauging the situation. Still, having multiple suitors could increase Samuel's trade value, potentially leading to a better return for San Francisco.
Fowler's report contrasts with one from ESPN's Jeff Darlington, who doubts Samuel will generate much in trade value.
"I don't anticipate that the 49ers will get a lot for Samuel because he is also going to have to need to be extended," Darlington said on SportsCenter, again, per Polacek. "And it's pretty clear that the 49ers will likely have to cut him if they don't trade him, so they really don't hold much leverage here."
Trading Samuel would also present financial challenges for the 49ers. A pre-June 1 trade would result in significant dead money against this year's salary cap—twice as much as keeping him. Because of this, many speculate that San Francisco could ultimately release Samuel with a post-June 1 designation, the most cost-effective option.
Samuel is coming off one of his worst seasons, recording just 806 scrimmage yards and four total touchdowns—his lowest single-season totals outside of an injury-shortened 2020 campaign.
H/t to Kyle Madson of Niners Wire for the find.