Seven weeks after telling Bay Area reporters that the San Francisco 49ers planned to keep wide receiver Deebo Samuel for the 2025 season, general manager John Lynch confirmed that the team and the star playmaker are now headed for a split.
Samuel requested a trade in January, and the 49ers allowed him to explore potential deals.
"He's asked for a fresh start, and I think we're going to honor that," Lynch acknowledged Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
While Lynch acknowledged discussions with other teams regarding Samuel, he declined to provide details. However, one head coach openly expressed interest in the dynamic receiver.
"Always interested in good players," Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, the 49ers' former defensive coordinator, said Wednesday, per The Athletic's Matt Barrows. "Deebo — I've seen him up close. I know he's an impact player.
"Interested? Yeah, but it's always teams can be interested, but how does it look, how does the contract (look), all those things? But definitely interested in him."
Samuel had a breakout 2021 season, racking up 1,770 scrimmage yards and 14 total touchdowns, which earned him a lucrative contract extension—after an earlier trade request. However, his production has diminished since then. He finished the 2024 season with 806 scrimmage yards and four total touchdowns, his lowest output since his injury-shortened 2020 campaign.
"There's a lot of love there," Lynch said. "There's a lot of respect there. There's a lot of shared experiences. So to let that go, that's difficult. But, like I said, time happens, and if it makes sense for both sides, you at least give it a chance, and so that's where we're at."
If the 49ers cannot find a trade partner, Lynch sounds prepared to consider releasing Samuel with a post-June 1 designation to minimize the salary-cap impact.
"Hopefully, we find a great place," Lynch added. "Then we'll have to make a decision if we don't. But I can say there's been a lot of interest around the league."
