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In April, things got to the point where no one was certain whether or not
Deebo Samuel would return to the San Francisco 49ers. The star wide receiver had requested a trade. Then, leading into the draft, there was a lot of chatter surrounding other teams being interested. And why not? In 2021, Samuel was one of the most exciting and dynamic players in the league, and he helped the 49ers reach the NFC title game for the second time in three years.
The 49ers never received an offer that came close to being worth considering. It would have taken a lot for head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch to part with Samuel. He is too valuable to the team, especially considering second-year quarterback Trey Lance is expected to be the Week 1 starter in 2022. Taking away a young quarterback's best offensive weapon isn't a recipe for success.
The draft passed, and Samuel remained on the roster, dramatically increasing the odds that he will play for the 49ers in 2022. Samuel even reported for the 49ers' mandatory minicamp last week. He didn't practice, but he was there with his teammates, having fun, and
looked very much a part of the roster.
"
The fact that Deebo Samuel showed up to mandatory minicamp, even though he was working on the side, not on the field, was significant," Tom Pelissero said Tuesday on
Good Morning Football. "That means something because it at least means that Deebo Samuel is open-minded about the possibility of returning to San Francisco because, remember, this was driven by Deebo. He made a trade request in early April. The 49ers were willing to work toward a long-term contract. Deebo said, 'Don't bother. I don't want to be here.'
"A couple of months later, facing the prospects of fines, facing also the reality that you've got a team that doesn't want to let him go, and much like some of the other players were talking about, he's under contract this year. You can tag him. You can tag him again. You can turn this into a multi-year fight if you want to."
Pelissero notes that two other players—kicker Robbie Gould and running back Raheem Mostert—requested trades during the Shanahan and Lynch era. Both ended up returning to the 49ers.
"Deebo's in an entirely different stratosphere as a player and in terms of the contract, but as of now, it certainly appears, especially since you're after the draft, you can't get picks this year to help you, that the scales are tipping toward Deebo being more likely to be in San Francisco at least for 2022."
Speaking with reporters last week, Shanahan shared that he doesn't believe the relationship with Samuel has soured to the point where a resolution is unreachable.
"I think it's always been alright," Shanahan said of the relationship. "I mean, I know we go through the business part of this league and things like that, but I don't think the relationship was ever too far away to not get it back to normal. And I think we're working on that. ... I love our relationship with Deebo. Hopefully, that will help us be able to solve this contractually before we get to the season."
49ers players will return to Santa Clara at the end of July when they report to training camp.
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, it's common for the rumor mill to start churning, especially with players who are actively seeking a new contract. It was just two short years ago that WR Deebo Samuel requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers prior to draft day, only for cooler heads to prevail and eventually agree to a new deal.
Now, it's WR Brandon Aiyuk's turn to try and get paid and rumors surfaced over the weekend that he too would request to be dealt. While that report was quickly shot down by his agent, there's still a lot of discussion about Aiyuk's future and if other teams will come calling on draft night.
Legendary columnist Mike Silver joined
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
