There were offers, but head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted that the 49ers were "not even close" to accepting an offer for their do-it-all star player. Despite Samuel requesting a trade, the team deems him too valuable to give up.
Because the 49ers didn't own a first-round pick, reporters didn't have an opportunity to ask general manager John Lynch about the team passing on trading Samuel. Lynch did make himself available on Friday night, though.
"We were convicted that Deebo is a tremendous fit for this team," general manager John Lynch told NBC Sports Bay Area. "... We listened, but nothing moved us. It was going to take something spectacular because I think he's a spectacular player. I know he is. We've seen that.
"There is projection in the draft, and when you know what you have in a guy ... it's hard to move on from that. And so I didn't see that happening, and it didn't happen. So we set out to try to build a team, along with Deebo, that can compete for the whole deal, and we're very pleased after our day one—the rest of the league's day two."
Where do the 49ers and Samuel go from here? Hopefully, toward working together to mend their relationship, address some of the obstacles, and sign the dynamic wideout to a contract extension.
"I think it always starts with communication," Lynch said. "So, we'll get through this draft and focus on continuing to build a team. And that will happen in due time. We're confident with our building. We've got a great foundation of a relationship, and we just need to get back to that, and I'm confident we can."
Moments earlier, Shanahan was very open in explaining why he's optimistic that the 49ers can work things out with Samuel.
"We've been with him here for three years," Shanahan said. "I think we know him pretty well. He knows us pretty well. Yeah, things haven't been the best over the last couple of months through outside perception, but I see that happen a lot in this league, especially in contract situations. You try not to overreact one way or another on it. You try to be patient with it because emotions can get high with people, especially when you care about people."
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers injury update: John Lynch addresses George Kittle's status for Bears game
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Friday. He discussed the status of tight end George Kittle, who is recovering from an ankle injury suffered Monday night against the Indianapolis Colts. The setback has put Kittle's... -
John Lynch: 49ers locked in on Colts, not Aiyuk saga or playoff seeding
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Friday morning and was asked to reflect on the ongoing Brandon Aiyuk saga. The team recently placed the wide receiver on the reserve/left squad list, officially ending his chances of returning... -
John Lynch: 49ers plan to make it 'very attractive' for Robert Saleh to stay
The San Francisco 49ers are focused on closing out the regular season strong and positioning themselves for a deep playoff run. Still, one offseason storyline is already drawing attention—and could surface even before the postseason ends. What happens with defensive... -
49ers injury update: John Lynch doesn't rule out Fred Warner's playoff return
The San Francisco 49ers aren't ruling out the possibility that star linebacker Fred Warner could return this postseason. Warner suffered a dislocated and fractured right ankle in Week 6, and early expectations were that he wouldn't play again until next year. Now, that timeline...